A Review Of The Asia Cup
The Asia Cup is a cricket tournament that was first established by the Asian Cricket Council in 1983. The goal of the tournament was to foster goodwill between participating countries in Asia. This tournament uses a round-robin format and is an ODI tournament, which means every team has a fixed number of overs.
Although the tournament was founded in 1983, the first competition took place in 1984. It was held in Sharjah, UAE. India won the tournament and Sri Lanka were the runners-up. Pakistan failed to win either of its two games.
The next tournament took place in 1986, and Sri Lanka was the host. Because India had a bad relationship with Sri Lanka at the time, they did not participate in the tournament. The finals were between Sri Lanka and Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were the winners.
The third tournament was held in Bangladesh in 1988. The finals were between India and Sri Lanka. Although it was an intense match, India ultimately won, taking home their second Asia Cup.
The next tournament took place in India from 1990-91. Relations between India and Pakistan were poor at the time, and as a result, Pakistan did not participate. The finals were once again between India and Sri Lanka, and India managed to win the cup a third time.
The tournament was canceled in 1993 because the relationship between India and Pakistan continued to be strained. However, the tournament resumed in 1995 and was once again held in Sharjah, UAE. India faced off against Sri Lanka for the third time in a row and won again.
Sri Lanka hosted the tournament again in 1997. History seemed like it would repeat itself when India and Sri Lanka were the finalists again. However, Sri Lanka managed to beat India in the finals and took home their second Asia Cup.
Bangladesh hosted the tournament again in 2000. This time, the finals were between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Pakistan won their first Asia Cup in this tournament.
In 2004, Hong Kong and UAE entered the tournament, which was held in Sri Lanka. Because there were now more teams playing, the format of the tournament changed. The tournament was divided into three stages: Group, Super Fours, and Finals. The finals were between Sri Lanka and India, with Sri Lanka winning.
Pakistan hosted the next tournament in 2008. Sri Lanka and India faced off in the finals again, with Sri Lanka ultimately taking home their fourth Asia Cup. Sri Lanka player Ajantha Mendis was named player of the tournament.
India won the 2010 tournament, while Pakistan won in 2012. Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the finals in 2014, and India won the Asia Cup in 2016. Although India struggled in the final match, Virat Kohli brought the team to victory.
The 2018 tournament was originally scheduled to be held in India but was later moved to the United Arab Emirates. India managed to retain their title, winning against Bangladesh. India was undefeated in the tournament, and Shikhar Dhawan was named the player of the tournament.
