Asia Cup: Pakistan to play Bangladesh in tournament opener

Defending Asia Cup champions Pakistan will play hosts Bangladesh in the opening match of the tournament on February 25, according to the schedule unveiled by the Asian Cricket Council in Dhaka.

India meets Bangladesh the next day.

Bangladesh has been rocked by political violence in recent weeks, prompting speculation that the World Twenty20, due to be held in the country from March 16 to April 6 may be shifted elsewhere, although the Asia Cup organisers insisted that the tournament would go ahead even if one of the teams pulls out on safety grounds.

According to The Dawn, unveiling the schedule, ACC chief executive Ashraful Huq said that the teams' participation is subject to security clearance by their respective boards, although he is confident all five nations will take part.

The report mentioned that the tournament, which also features debutants Afghanistan, will be played in Dhaka and the southern suburban town of Fatullah, adding that each team will play each other once in the league, with the final scheduled at Dhaka's Sher-e-Bangla stadium on March 8.

Meanwhile, a Sri Lankan cricket official said that the team's bilateral tour to Bangladesh starting on January 27 will go ahead as scheduled, the report added. 

The Asia Cup schedule