India, Pakistan in same group in Women’s Asia Cup 2024

India and Pakistan women’s cricket teams will be facing each other in a high-voltage clash when they take part in the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 in July. The Asian Cricket Council (ACC), on Tuesday, announced the schedule of the Women’s Asia Cup. The tournament will be played in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, from July 19 to 28.

This will be the first time the tournament will feature eight teams. The previous edition, in 2022, featured seven teams.

Tournament regulars India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh, along with the semi-finalists of the Women’s Premier Cup 2024 UAE, Malaysia, Nepal, and Thailand, will feature in the Asia Cup.

In another novel move, the Asia Cup will also feature female umpires and match referees. The 2022 edition had all female match officials, and it was a successful move.

The Asian Cricket Council, in a statement, said the move to have female match officials is in line with ACC’s vision of inclusivity and equality in the sport. “The increased participation promises to make this tournament even more competitive and thrilling for cricket fans across the region. In line with the ACC’s vision for inclusivity and equality in cricket, the Women’s Asia Cup 2024 will continue the tradition of having all female referees and umpires, following the successful implementation of the same in the previous edition,” the statement read.

The teams have been grouped into two groups, with India, Pakistan, UAE and Nepal forming Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Thailand and Malaysia complete Group B.

The Indian women’s cricket team won their seventh title in the previous edition, beating Sri Lanka in the final. The defending champions will open their campaign against the UAE on July 19.

The India vs Pakistan marquee clash will take place on July 21, and India will meet Nepal on July 23. For the record, India had lost to Pakistan in the 2022 edition of the Asia Cup. After Pakistan scored 137/6 in their 20 overs, the Indian women were bowled out for 124, handing Pakistan a 13-run win.

The top-two teams in each group will play the semi-finals, scheduled on July 26, with the final being scheduled for July 28.