Women's Asia Cup Fixtures Announced: India to Face Pakistan in Crucial Match

The Asian Cricket Council on Thursday announced the dates and fixtures for the Women’s Asia Cup, which is set to start from August 28 and go on till September 30. The tournament, set to be played in Dubai and in the T20 format will see India clash with arch-rivals Pakistan on September 5 at the Dubai International Stadium. The 8 teams taking part in the tournament are divided into two groups with India facing Thailand on August 30, followed by Hong Kong on September 3 and then arch-rivals Pakistan in Group A. Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, UAE and Indonesia make up Group B. The tournament opener on August 28 will feature Thailand and Hong Kong. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the semifinals with the final set for September 13. Sri Lanka are the defending champions coming into this edition after beating India in the final in 2024. In that match, breezy half-centuries from captain Chamari Athapaththu and Harshitha Samarawickrama, besides Kavisha Dilhari’s all-round exploits, enabled Sri Lanka defeat 2022 winners India by eight wickets and claim the Asia Cup in Dambulla. Though India were favourites, the outcome did not come as a complete surprise as Lanka had been on a red-hot winning streak, having lost only three of their last 17 games. Meanwhile, on Thursday, Cricket South Africa revised the schedule for India’s tour of the rainbow nation. The earlier itinerary did not include a three-match T20I series in addition to the existing three-match ODI series and a Test match. The one-off Test will be played from December 9-12 before the ODI series kicks in from December 16-22. Now, the Indian team will spend an extra week in South Africa to play the T20I series between December 26 and 30. The T20Is will be played at Benoni and Potchefstroom, which the CSA felt will give both the sides a good platform going into the inaugural Women’s Champions Trophy, which will be played in Sri Lanka in February.