- Thursday, April 25, 2024
By: Shubham Ghosh
The 2022 edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to kick off in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), on August 27 when former champions Sri Lanka will take on Afghanistan. However, the top attraction of the T20 tournament remains the clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan in a Group B clash in Dubai on August 28.
The tournament, which was initially scheduled to take place in Sri Lanka before the island-nation expressed its inability to host it owing to continuing economic and political tensions, will conclude on September 11 when the final will be held in Dubai. Most of the matches will be held in Dubai while Sharjah will host three — all being group fixtures.
India, the defending champions, last played Pakistan in the T20 World Cup in the UAE last year and the men in green had the last laugh on that occasion, hammering their opponents by 10 wickets. This year, too, the two Asian powerhouses are set to meet in a group fixture in the T20 World Cup in Australia in October.
India and Pakistan are clubbed with a qualifier team in Group A while Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who finished as the runners-up in the 2018 edition in the UAE, are in Group B. While the group games will be played between August 27 and September 2, Super 4 matches will be played between September 3 and 9, followed by the final.
India, who have won the Asia Cup a record seven times, defeated Pakistan twice in the previous edition of the Asia Cup, which was played in the 50-over format. In the 2016 edition, too, India defeated Pakistan in a one-sided affair.
While Rohit Sharma led India to lifting the crown in the 2018 edition in the absence of then captain Virat Kohli, former India captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni was in charge when India won the tournament in 2016.
Jay Shah, secretary of the Indian cricket board — the Board of Control for Cricket in India — shared the Asia Cup’s schedule on Twitter.
The wait is finally over as the battle for Asian supremacy commences on 27th August with the all-important final on 11th September.
The 15th edition of the Asia Cup will serve as ideal preparation ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup. pic.twitter.com/QfTskWX6RD
— Jay Shah (@JayShah) August 2, 2022
