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‘We Never Cared About Our Players’: Salman Butt Slams PCB Over Pakistan’s Schedule In Asia Cup 2023
Salman Butt has reacted to Pakistan's schedule for Asia Cup 2023 and slammed PCB for not letting their players have sufficient rest
Published: Jul 20, 2023, 05:36 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 20, 2023, 05:36 PM (IST)
INDIA will face arch-rivals Pakistan in their first match of Asia Cup 2023 on September 2 in Kandy, Sri Lanka, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) president & BCCI secretary Jay Shah confirmed on Wednesday while announcing the schedule for the premier Asian tournament.
The six-nation tournament will be played in Pakistan and Sri Lanka under a hybrid model of hosting games. The tournament will start on August 30, when Pakistan take on Nepal in Multan. The final will be held on September 17 in Colombo.
Salman Butt Slams Asia Cup 2023 Schedule
Former Pakistan skipper, Salman Butt has openly expressed his disapproval, highlighting the unfair distribution of rest days for the Pakistani team.
Regardless of their hosting duties, Pakistan’s matches will include a lot of travel and as per Butt, this takes away sufficient rest period from them.
“It’s a very strange schedule. Pakistan are playing their first match in Pakistan, then they will travel to Sri Lanka for the second match. On the other hand, Sri Lanka will play their first match in their home, and when they have to travel to Pakistan for the second game, they have a 4-5 days gap. Pakistan, who are originally the host nation, have only got a two days gap. We never cared about our players,” said Butt.
The Asia Cup 2023 will be played in 50-over format ahead of the Men’s ODI World Cup, to be held in India from October 5 to November 19. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Nepal, the winners of ACC Men’s Premier Cup, will compete in a total of 13 ODI matches in the tournament.
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The 2023 edition of Asia Cup, which is also the 16th edition of the tournament, will feature two groups, with two teams from each group qualifying for the Super Four stage. The top two teams from the Super Four stage will then face off in the final.