Eighteen out of 19 matches in the upcoming Asia Cup will start half an hour later than originally scheduled as the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reels from a heat wave. The Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) announced on Saturday that the matches will now begin at 6.30pm local time (8pm IST). This includes all of India’s matches, with the only scheduled day game to be between UAE and Oman, which is to start at 4pm local time at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.
Temperatures have surged to record highs at the start of August and some parts of the country has seen it touching 47 degrees celsius. The temperature surge followed the UAE’s hottest April and May on record, National Centre of Meteorology (NCM) had said, according to Reuters.
Record temperatures
On August 1, the temperature in the desert town of Sweihan hit 51.8 C (125.2 degrees Fahrenheit), the highest since 2021, the NCM said. This was just shy of the UAE’s all-time high of 52.1 C (125.8 F) set in July 2002, also in Sweihan. Inland areas repeatedly experienced daily temperatures above 50 C in June and July, while seaside urban centres like Dubai and Abu Dhabi consistently posted highs in the mid-forties. The NCM expects the rest of the summer to remain hotter than usual, forecasting August temperatures 0.25 C to 0.5 C above average.
“The start time for 18 out of the 19 DP World Asia Cup 2025 matches has been updated. These matches will now begin at 6:30pm local time (Gulf Standard Time),” the ECB said in a statement on its website. “The Monday, 15 September match between UAE and Oman will start at 4:00pm local time at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – the only day game of the tournament,” it added in the statement.
India face UAE in their first match
In the initial schedule announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) earlier this month, the matches were scheduled to start at 6 PM local time. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium will host the high-voltage India-Pakistan Group A match on September 14.
India’s first match of the tournament against the hosts United Arab Emirates is scheduled to take place in Dubai on September 10, and the last group stage fixture against Oman will be played in Abu Dhabi on September 19. India, Pakistan, UAE, and Oman are in Group A, while Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Hong Kong form Group B.
