Your guide to Asia Cup 2022 Twenty20 tournament in the UAE

Asia Cup 2022 format
Asia Cup 2022 format

Guide to Asia Cup 2022: In Dubai and Sharjah, there is a battle between India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan.

The Asia Cup starts on August 27 in the UAE with a Twenty20 format. On that day, Sri Lanka plays Afghanistan in Dubai. That is a sign that India and Pakistan are going to fight hard the next day. As Bangladesh tries to get ahead of their famous rivals in the subcontinent, we can expect more exciting games. Here’s a look at the tournament, where it came from, who has won in the past, and who the writers at Gulf News think should win.

To explain why the United Arab Emirates is the tournament’s “spiritual home,”?

Wear your team’s colors. Flag, please. Possible placard. Face paint, please. Early arrival is recommended. Whatever team plays, there will be long lines. Full stadiums are expected. Electricity. The UAE hosted the Asia Cup.

UAE has expat communities. Indians, Pakistanis, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, and Afghans are major overseas inhabitants. Cricket captivates them. From August 27 to September 11, their national teams will play in Dubai and Sharjah, filling the stadiums with cheering and whistling. India-August Pakistan’s 28 game is sold out. Missed it? Don’t worry. In the Super 4, they might meet again in the final. UAE is Asia Cup’s spiritual home. Abdul Rehman Bukhatir, a businessman and cricket fan, started the event in Sharjah. After the first Asia Cup in 1984, the last was in 2018. In 15 editions and 38 years, this is the fourth Asia Cup in the UAE. The Asia Cup and UAE’s fates seem intertwined.

Who are playing?

The International Cricket Conference is made up of all of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The five will be put right into the main event.

The qualifiers were held at the Al Amerat Stadium in Muscat. The UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, and Hong Kong all played, and Hong Kong made it to the main event.

Who are the hosts?

Due to the COVID pandemic, the event was moved from 2020 to 2021. It will be held in Sri Lanka. Since Sri Lanka is in the middle of a political and financial crisis, the tournament was moved to the UAE.

Which venues will host the competitions?

Both the Dubai International Stadium and the Sharjah Cricket Stadium will be used for the games. The games start at 6pm UAE time.

When do we get to the main event?

Afghanistan will play Sri Lanka in the first game on August 27 in Dubai. The next day, India and Pakistan will play in the same place.

On September 11, the final will be held in Dubai.

Who have won the most?

The Asia Cup has been won seven times by India, five times by Sri Lanka, and twice by Pakistan.

Bangladesh has been to the final three times, but they have never won.

How often will India and Pakistan play?

On August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium, India and Pakistan will play a preliminary league game. That’s for sure. If both teams make it to the next round, which should happen barring a miracle, they will play each other again in the Super 4.

India and Pakistan will play in the final if they win their Super 4 matches. This time will be the third. A mouth-watering idea, for sure.

The origins of Asia Cup

Abdul Rahman Bukhatir, a UAE businessman and cricket fan, brought cricket to the UAE with the support of India and Pakistan through the Cricketers Benefit Fund Series (CBFS) in Sharjah. CBFS competitions replaced Gavaskar XI vs. Miandad XI and double-wicket events. When Sri Lanka joined Sharjah, an Asia Cup loomed. Sharjah became the Asian Cricket Council’s headquarters in 1983. Next year, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka will compete in the first Asia Cup at the same location.

India skipped the 1986 tournament in Sri Lanka due to deteriorating cricket relations. Since then, Bangladesh has been a permanent feature.

Pakistan withdrew from the 1990-91 Asia Cup due to tense relations with India. The tension continued, cancelling the 1993 event.

The teams

India:

Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant, Deepak Hooda, Dinesh Karthik, Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Ravi Bishnoi, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Avesh Khan.

Pakistan:

Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan, Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir, Mohammad Hasnain.

Afghanistan:

Mohammad Nabi (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Najibullah Zadran, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Afsar Zazai, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Sharfuddin Ashraf, Rashid Khan, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Farid Ahmed Malik, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmed

Bangladesh:

Shakib Al Hasan (captain), Anamul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Afif Hossain, Mosaddek Hossain, Mahmudullah, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed, Sabbir Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taskin Ahmed, Ebadot Hossain, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mohammad Naim

Sri Lanka:

Dasun Shanaka (c), Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis, Charith Asalanka, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Ashen Bandara, Dhananjaya de Silva, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffrey Vandersay, Praveen Jayawickrama, Chamika Karunaratne, Dilshan Madushanka, Matheesha Pathirana, Pramod Madushan.