Given that India and Pakistan cannot play bilateral series due to the geo-political situation in the region, the only way out are multilateral tournaments like the Asia Cup, or the ICC tournaments.
Now, with the Asia Cup beginning in the UAE from Saturday, once again, the focus is largely on these two nations, with the rest left to play bit roles. Presumably it suits both the Indian and Pakistani cricket boards and definitely the broadcasters, to work around the current situation through these tournaments and ensure big bucks, since nothing gets bigger than an India-Pakistan contest in cricket.
Asia Cup 2022 sees six nations play in two groups. Group A consists of Hong Kong, who have qualified for the tournament, India and Pakistan, while Group B sees Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in action.
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So, Group A essentially is India and Pakistan (with all due respect to Hong Kong). The two sides play there once in the league and as since both are expected to go to the Super Four, they meet there again.
Further, if all the prayers of all the bodies concerned are met, the two teams will also play the final.
That means a minimum of two India-Pakistan matches, and a maximum of three. Almost as good as a bilateral series, without being one.
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As for the other sides, they may be a little miffed with all the attention being focused on two teams but you can almost see the fatalistic shrugs. So long as they get to play and, who knows, create an upset or two, they can’t really be complaining. After all, the money comes from India in general and India-Pakistan in particular.
Action begins on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium at 7.30 pm IST, with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan getting things underway. Sunday evening is reserved for the big one – India taking on Pakistan for the first time.
This is the same venue where India and Pakistan had met in the T20 World Cup in 2021, with Pakistan posting their first-ever win over India in an ICC tournament, and that too a whopping 10-wicket victory.
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India’s bugbear in the match, left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, is however out of action this time with an injury, and nothing could be better news for the Indian top-order batters, who are almost a repeat of the 2021 contest.
At the same time, India too will miss Jasprit Bumrah, out for the same reasons, so it all possibly evens out on the bowling front.
The rest will be out in the open, come Sunday. Before that, let’s acknowledge the others in the fray, making way for Sri Lanka and Afghanistan to get into action.
