Asia Cup alters start times to beat UAE heat

Eighteen of the 19 matches at the upcoming Asia Cup - including the final - will start at 6.30 PM local time (Gulf Standard Time), pushed back by half hour from the original schedule.

Temperatures during the day in September - when the tournament will be played - are expected to soar into the early 40s (degrees) and stay that way until late evenings. In order to avoid playing in such scorching heat, the cricket boards requested for the games to be pushed by a little. The request was made to the broadcasters and they agreed to the changes. This would mean all the day-night games will begin at 8 PM IST.

The one match unaffected by this change is the only day fixture of the tournament - the clash between UAE and Oman on September 15 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Afghanistan and Hong Kong will get the ball rolling for the eight-team tournament in Abu Dhabi on September 9.