One thing that always added spice to an otherwise monotonous calendar year filled with meaningless bilateral used to be multinational tournaments, which included the Titan cup, Coca-Cola cup, NatWest series, Pepsi Cup, etc.
Now that multinational tournaments have vanished completely, we see our favorite teams only at the ICC or Asia Cup tournaments. ICC has announced the future tour program (FTP) for the 2023-27 cycle, but there are hardly any tours planned except for a few tri-series. In the midst of this, the Asia Cup is a breath of fresh air that provides a sense of excitement among viewers.
The 15th edition of the Asia cup commenced on 27th August 2022 with Afghanistan beating SL by 8 wickets. It was followed by a nail-biter on Sunday where India emerged victorious in a last-over thriller against Pakistan. These tournaments are the only occasions in which we can see the teams face off. The India–Pakistan cricket rivalry is one of the most intense sports rivalries in the world.
The players of both teams are under intense pressure to win and face extreme reactions in defeat. Through the 1980s and 1990s, the UAE desert was the site of cricket rivalry between the teams in Sharjah. On Sunday, this epic rivalry resumed in the 2nd match of the Asia Cup. India had some scores to settle as they were humbled in the T20 WC last year on the same ground.
This year the tournament will be played in the T20I format in UAE across 2 venues, Sharjah and Dubai. The teams are divided into 2 groups. Group A consists of India, Pakistan, and Hong Kong while Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. 2 teams qualify from each group and will face each other in the Super 4s.
The top 2 teams of Super 4 will play the finals against each other. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the tournament was postponed in July 2020 and then rescheduled to take place in Sri Lanka in June 2021 before being postponed again in June 2021.
Initially, Pakistan had been scheduled to host the tournament in September 2020, but the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) announced SL as the host for 2022 and Pakistan for 2023. The tournament will take place in UAE because of the political and economic crisis while the hosting rights remain with Sri Lanka.
The Asia Cup was first organized in 1984 under the Asian Cricket Council to promote goodwill between Asian countries. As a good preparation for the WC, the tournament was played in t20 format in 2016, rather than the usual 50-over format.
India is the most successful team in the history of the Asia Cup with 7 titles. Sanath Jayasuriya is the highest run-getter (1220 runs) whereas Lasith Malinga is the highest wicket-taker of the tournament. India has not lost a single match in the last two editions and has been very dominant.
They are the favorites to lift the title but t20 is a game of uncertainties and teams like Afghanistan and Bangladesh can humble anyone on their given day. The final matchup between India and Pakistan would be a perfect conclusion to the tournament, as it isn't just a game but a battle of emotions.
