Asia Cup: Format, History and Key Facts of the Cricket Tournament

The Asia Cup is the main international cricket tournament contested by national teams from Asia. Organised by the Asian Cricket Council, it brings together the leading cricket nations of the continent and is one of the key warm-up events before global tournaments.

Beginnings

The first Asia Cup was held in Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates in 1984, which was created to promote cricket in Asia and to create regular contests between the region’s teams. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka took part, and India won the inaugural edition. The tournament became a periodic event, which was not held on a fixed annual schedule, and some editions were affected by political or scheduling issues.

Format

The Asia Cup has used both the one-day international and Twenty20 international formats. The rotation changed so that the format of each edition is matched to the next global event: it is played in the ODI format in years leading to an ODI World Cup and in the T20 format in years leading to a T20 World Cup. A group stage is followed by either a Super Four stage or a knockout stage, and a final decides the champion.

Teams

The regular members are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, with a qualifier tournament providing a place for an additional team from countries such as the United Arab Emirates, Hong Kong, Nepal and Oman. This has given smaller teams a chance to play against the leading sides.

Winners and notable editions

India has been the most successful team in the competition, followed by Sri Lanka. Pakistan has won the tournament in 2000 and 2012. Sri Lanka won the 2022 edition in the T20 format in the UAE, beating Pakistan in the final. India won the 2023 edition, played in the ODI format, defeating Sri Lanka in the final in Colombo by ten wickets.

Hosting arrangements

Because of the political situation between India and Pakistan, hosting has sometimes been complex. The 2023 tournament was officially hosted by Pakistan but used a hybrid model, with India’s matches and the later stages staged in Sri Lanka. Other editions have been played in places including Bangladesh and the United Arab Emirates.

Why it matters

The Asia Cup provides regular competition between the strongest teams in the region, and it is among the best-watched events in the international calendar because it features the rivalry between India and Pakistan, often with more than one meeting in a single edition.