Tigers grouped with SL and Afg

Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in the opening match of the 50-over Asia Cup on September 15 this year at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. The schedule of the biennial tournament, which will take place in the United Arab Emirates, was released by broadcasters Star Sports yesterday.

Five teams -- India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan -- have earned direct entries while one of Hong Kong, Malaysia, Nepal, Oman, Singapore and UAE will fight for the remaining spot.

Group A consists of defending champions India, Pakistan and the qualifier while Group B has Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 stage where all four sides will face each other once and two teams with the most points will play the final on September 28 in Dubai.