It may be a bit hard to believe but the Asia Cup, when it was conceived in 1983, with the first edition of the tournament played the following year, was envisaged as an event that would promote goodwill between the nations that contested it.
How anyone thought that a cricket tournament could somehow bring together India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – later adding Bangladesh, Afghanistan and other countries finding their feet in the game – is unclear.
History has shown that these countries, and by extension the cricket boards, have not always acted as good neighbours. In only the second edition, in 1986, India boycotted the tournament, hosted by Sri Lanka. India had toured Sri Lanka the previous year for Tests and ODIs and the series was a contentious one, with the visiting team believing that the umpires were less than fair. Add to this the political climate, the fallout of the Anuradhapura massacre in which 146 civilians were killed, and India refused to travel, and were replaced by Bangladesh.
In 1990-91 Pakistan refused to play the tournament, held in India. This time it was India and Pakistan who were at loggerheads.
Since then, the tournament has endured cancellations, changes in format from 50-over to T20 and vice versa, but it has plodded on.
Cut to 2025, and the tournament is back in the UAE, where it was first played. In many ways the UAE feels like a natural home for a tournament among squabbling neighbours. None of the countries that take part have anything ongoing with the UAE and it is always going to be a venue that is acceptable to all.
Even this edition of the tournament seemed a non-starter at one point, with tensions between India and Pakistan running high and border clashes threatening to escalate into large-scale war. In the end, however, the two teams along with Sri Lanka (the only team to play all editions of the Asia Cup), Bangladesh, Afghanistan and associates UAE, Oman and Hong Kong — will rejoin the battle, drawing serious interest around the subcontinent.
The Asia Cup has been accused of being a faux tournament, designed primarily to ensure that India and Pakistan play each other twice, with the possibility of a third meeting in the final. Since India and Pakistan no longer play bilateral series, and given how much rides on these matches financially, there is a smidgeon of truth to that perception.
But, it is also mildly insulting to Sri Lanka, who have won the tournament six times (just two behind India’s tally) and the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Bangladesh have shown the ability to beat all their neighbours and Afghanistan are as exciting a T20 team as any going. What a fairytale it would be – and not an upset – if Afghanistan strung together enough good days to go all the way and take the title?
Naturally, Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian captain, and Salman Agha, leading Pakistan, were nudged to examine the rivalry in the pre-tournament press conference. Surya flatly denied that his team were runaway favourites.
“Who said that? I haven’t heard it,” said Surya, who brings a breeziness to his media interactions.
When it was suggested to Surya that the two cricket teams might want to cool it on the field, in light of the geopolitical tensions, he could only shrug. “Temper? Sir, aggression is always there on the field when we take the field,” said Surya. “And without aggression, I don’t think you can play this sport. And I’m very excited to take the field on the front foot.”
Agha was similarly careful not to fan any flames. “You don’t need to say anything to any player,” Agha said. “Everyone is different individually. If someone wants to be aggressive on the field, they are more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive and you can’t stop them because that’s what keeps them going.
“From my side, there is no instruction to anyone, as long as it stays on the field.”
Agha, when it was his turn, also chose not to get into the debate of which team was favourite to win. “In T20, I don’t think anyone is favourite,” said Agha. “On a particular day, you just have to play good cricket. T20 is a very fast game. In one or two overs, the game can completely change.”
September is not an ideal month to play cricket in the UAE given the heat and humidity, but the players will just have to find a way to overcome it. And hope that the action on the field is so compelling that it actually does build some goodwill between this collection of reluctant neighbours.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
How anyone thought that a cricket tournament could somehow bring together India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka – later adding Bangladesh, Afghanistan and other countries finding their feet in the game – is unclear.
History has shown that these countries, and by extension the cricket boards, have not always acted as good neighbours. In only the second edition, in 1986, India boycotted the tournament, hosted by Sri Lanka. India had toured Sri Lanka the previous year for Tests and ODIs and the series was a contentious one, with the visiting team believing that the umpires were less than fair. Add to this the political climate, the fallout of the Anuradhapura massacre in which 146 civilians were killed, and India refused to travel, and were replaced by Bangladesh.
In 1990-91 Pakistan refused to play the tournament, held in India. This time it was India and Pakistan who were at loggerheads.
Since then, the tournament has endured cancellations, changes in format from 50-over to T20 and vice versa, but it has plodded on.
Cut to 2025, and the tournament is back in the UAE, where it was first played. In many ways the UAE feels like a natural home for a tournament among squabbling neighbours. None of the countries that take part have anything ongoing with the UAE and it is always going to be a venue that is acceptable to all.
Even this edition of the tournament seemed a non-starter at one point, with tensions between India and Pakistan running high and border clashes threatening to escalate into large-scale war. In the end, however, the two teams along with Sri Lanka (the only team to play all editions of the Asia Cup), Bangladesh, Afghanistan and associates UAE, Oman and Hong Kong — will rejoin the battle, drawing serious interest around the subcontinent.
The Asia Cup has been accused of being a faux tournament, designed primarily to ensure that India and Pakistan play each other twice, with the possibility of a third meeting in the final. Since India and Pakistan no longer play bilateral series, and given how much rides on these matches financially, there is a smidgeon of truth to that perception.
But, it is also mildly insulting to Sri Lanka, who have won the tournament six times (just two behind India’s tally) and the likes of Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Bangladesh have shown the ability to beat all their neighbours and Afghanistan are as exciting a T20 team as any going. What a fairytale it would be – and not an upset – if Afghanistan strung together enough good days to go all the way and take the title?
Naturally, Suryakumar Yadav, the Indian captain, and Salman Agha, leading Pakistan, were nudged to examine the rivalry in the pre-tournament press conference. Surya flatly denied that his team were runaway favourites.
“Who said that? I haven’t heard it,” said Surya, who brings a breeziness to his media interactions.
When it was suggested to Surya that the two cricket teams might want to cool it on the field, in light of the geopolitical tensions, he could only shrug. “Temper? Sir, aggression is always there on the field when we take the field,” said Surya. “And without aggression, I don’t think you can play this sport. And I’m very excited to take the field on the front foot.”
Agha was similarly careful not to fan any flames. “You don’t need to say anything to any player,” Agha said. “Everyone is different individually. If someone wants to be aggressive on the field, they are more than welcome to do that. When it comes to fast bowlers, they are always aggressive and you can’t stop them because that’s what keeps them going.
“From my side, there is no instruction to anyone, as long as it stays on the field.”
Agha, when it was his turn, also chose not to get into the debate of which team was favourite to win. “In T20, I don’t think anyone is favourite,” said Agha. “On a particular day, you just have to play good cricket. T20 is a very fast game. In one or two overs, the game can completely change.”
September is not an ideal month to play cricket in the UAE given the heat and humidity, but the players will just have to find a way to overcome it. And hope that the action on the field is so compelling that it actually does build some goodwill between this collection of reluctant neighbours.
(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this column are that of the writer. The facts and opinions expressed here do not reflect the views of www.economictimes.com)
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