History of Asia Cup – A Glorious Tournament since 1984

History of Asia Cup

In 1983, the Asian cricket playing nations decided to establish an organization to promote cricket in Asia. As a result, the Asian Cricket Council was formed with its headquarters in Sharjah. After the establishment of ACC, an ODI tournament was also introduced to be played between Asian countries to promote goodwill among them.

The first ever Asia Cup was played in 1984 which was won by India. India has been the most successful team in Asia Cup with 7 titles and followed by Sri Lanka, currently the defending champions, with 6 titles. Pakistan has won the Asia Cup twice (2000 and 2012) setting its eyes for the 3^rd title.  A total of 15 editions have been played so far. ACC is set to conduct its 16^th edition in Pakistan/ Sri Lanka hosted by Pakistan this month from 30 August – 17 September 2023 which is the only continental cricket tournament.

This year’s Tournament will be played on ODI format to give maximum preparations to participating teams for this year’s ICC ODI World Cup scheduled in November in India. Here we will discuss the previous editions briefly in order to refresh the memories of fans.

History of Asia Cup

1^st Edition – Asia Cup 1984 (6-13 April 1984) – History of Asia Cup

It was the first edition of Asia Cup which was played in Sharjah, UAE where the newly formed ACC’s headquarters were built.  Tournament was played on round robin format and a total of 3 teams participated which includes Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka.

3 matches were played in the tournament and the team with the most wins were declared as champions. India won both its matches and thus were declared the champions of Asia in the inaugural tournament. Surinder Khanna top scored the batting charts with 107 runs whereas Ravi Shastri topped the bowling charts with 4 wickets. Pakistan lost both its matches in the tournament.

2^nd Edition – Asia Cup 1986 (30 March – 6 April 1986) – History of Asia Cup

It was the second edition of Asia Cup which was played in Sri Lanka for the first time. Participating teams included Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh (which participated for the first time in this event). Bangladesh had qualified for the tournament after winning the 1984 South-East Asia Cup. India pulled out of the tournament due to political tensions with Sri Lanka.

The tournament was played on round robin format where the top two teams were supposed to play in the final. Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in the final after securing top positions.

Final was played on 6^th April 1984 at Colombo. Pakistan scored 191/9 in the reduced 45 overs. Javed Miandad top scored with 67(100) and Kaushik Amalean was the pick of the bowler with 4/46(9 Overs). Sri Lanka comfortably chased the target (195/5 in 42.2) in 43^rd over with the help of Arjuna Ranatunga’s 57(55) and winning its first ever Asia Cup tournament by 5 wickets.

Abdul Qadir took 3/32(9 Overs). Javed Miandad was declared the man of the match with his hard fought 67(100) whereas A.Ranatunga was declared the man of the series..  Arjuna Ranatunga topped the batting charts with 109 runs whereas Abdul Qadir led the bowling charts with 9 wickets.

3^rd Edition – Asia Cup 1988 (26 Oct – 4 Nov 1988) – History of Asia Cup

The third edition was played in Bangladesh with 4 teams taking part in the tournament which included the host nation Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. A total of 7 matches were played in the tournament on round robin format.

India and Sri Lanka qualified for the final which was played on 4^th Nov 1988. Sri Lanka posted 176(43.2) all out while batting first with the help of Duleep Mendis 36(36). Kris Srikanth took 3/12(3.2). India comfortably won by 6 wickets (180/4 in 37.1) with Navjot Sidhu’s 76(87) and winning its 2^nd title. Kapila Wijegunawardene took 2/33(9 overs). N Sidhu was the player of the match and player of the series as well. Ijaz Ahmed led the batting charts with 192 runs whereas Arshad Ayub led with 9 wickets.

4^th Edition – Asia Cup 1990/91 (25 Dec 1990 – 4 Jan 1991) – History of Asia Cup

The fourth edition was played in India with 3 teams (India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh) taking part in the tournament, played on round robin format. Pakistan pulled out from the tournament due to strained political relations with India.

A total of 4 matches were played where India and Sri Lanka again met in the final at Eden Gardens, Calcutta. Sri Lanka scored 204/9(45) with the help of A.Ranatunga’s 49(57). Kapil Dev took 4/31(9) which included a hattrick as well. India replied with 205/3 (42.1) with Sanjay Manjrekar’s 75(95) and comfortably winning its overall 3^rd and 2^nd consecutive Asia Cup by 7 wickets. Ranatunga took 1-12(2).  Arjuna Ranatunga topped the batting charts with 166 runs and Kapil Dev took 9 wickets, leading the bowling charts in the tournament.

5^th Edition – Asia Cup 1995 (5-14 April 1995) – History of Asia Cup

The fifth edition was played in Sharjah, UAE with 4 teams (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) on round robin format. Tournament was played after 4 long years as 1993 edition was cancelled due to strained political relations between Pakistan and India.

A total of 7 matches were played where Sri Lanka and India again met in the final of Asia Cup. Pakistan couldn’t qualify to the final due to low net run rate. India won the toss and elected to field first in the final. Sri Lanka posted 230/7(50) with Asanka Gurusinha’s 85(122). Venkatesh Prasad took 2-32(10). India comfortably chased the target with 8 wickets in hands (233/2 in 41.5) with the help of M. Azharuddin’s unbeaten 90*(121) and thus, winning the title for the 3^rd consecutive time and 4^th overall. C. Ramanayake took 1-52(8.5).  M. Azharuddin was declared player of the match.

Sachin Tendulkar scored the most runs (205) whereas Anil Kumbpe took the most wickets (7). Navjot Sidhu was declared player of the series.

6^th Edition – Asia Cup 1997 (14-26 July 1997) – History of Asia Cup

The sixth edition was played in Sri Lanka with 4 teams (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) on round robin format. A total of 7 matches were played where Sri Lanka and India met in the final at Colombo for the 4^th consecutive time.

India batted first after winning the toss and scored 239/7(50) with M. Azharuddin’s 81(102). Chaminda Vaas took 2-32(8). Sri Lanka responded aggressively by chasing the target in 36.2 overs (240/2) and winning its 2^nd title by 8 wickets. MS Atapattu scored 84(101) and Nilesh Kulkarni took 1-48(10). MS Atapattu was declared player of the match whereas Arjuna Ranatunga was declared Player of the series for his 272 runs (most in the tournament). Venkatesh Prasad took the most wickets (7).

7^th Edition – Asia Cup 2000 (29 May – 7 June 2000) – History of Asia Cup

The seventh edition was played in Bangladesh again with 4 team (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) on round robin format. A total of 7 matches were played where Sri Lanka and Pakistan met in the final at Dhaka. It was Sri lanka’s 6^th consecutive Asia Cup final whereas Pakistan’s only 2^nd final in tournament’s history, that too after 14 long years.

Pakistan batted first and posted 277/4(50) on the board with Saeed Anwar top scoring with 82(115) while Nuwan Zoysa taking 2-44(8). In reply, Sri Lanka were bundled out for 238(45.2) with Marvan Atapattu scoring 100(124) while Arshad Khan taking 2-42(10).  In the end, Pakistan won their first ever Asia Cup comfortably by 39 runs. Saeed Anwar was declared Player of the match whereas Muhammad Yousaf (then Yousaf Youhana) was declared player of the series for leading the batting charts with 295 runs. Abdul Razzaq topped the bowling charts with 8 wickets.

Also Read : Babar Azam’s century in LPL 2023 – A Magnificent Innings

8^th Edition – Asia Cup 2004 (16 July – 1 Aug 2004) – History of Asia Cup

The eighth edition was played in Sri Lanka where 6 teams participated in which for the first time, associate nations also participated (UAE and Hong Kong). For the first time, group stage was introduced in the tournament where Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage.

A total of 13 matches were played in the tournament. Final was played at Colombo between India and Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka batted first and scored 228/9(50) where M. Atapattu top scored with 65(87) whereas Sachin Tendulkar took 2-40(10). India fell short of the target scoring 203/9(50) where Sachin Tendulkar top scored with 74(100) whereas Upul Chandana took 3-33(10). Thus, Sri Lanka won its 3^rd title by 25 runs. M. Atapattu was declared player of the match whereas Sanath Jayasuriya was declared players of the series. Shoaib Malik topped the batting charts with 316 runs whereas as Irfan Pathan topped the bowling charts with 14 wickets.

9^th Edition – Asia Cup 2008 (24 June – 6 July 2008) – History of Asia Cup

The ninth edition was played hosted for the first time by Pakistan. Although, Pakistan was supposed to host the Asia Cup in 1993 which was cancelled due to the political tensions between India and Pakistan. The tournament was played on the same format as in 2004 edition where same six teams participated, and 13 matches were played.

Final was played at Karachi between Sri Lanka and India where Sri Lanka batted first scoring a decent 273 all out in 49.5. Sanath Jayasuriya top scored with 125(114) whereas Ishant Sharma took 3-52(10). In reply, India was bundled out for 173 in 39.3 overs due to the destructive bowling spell of Ajantha Mendis 6-13(8.5) whereas Virender Sehwag top scored with 60(36). In the end, Sri Lanka won its 4^th title (2^nd consecutive) comfortably by 100 runs.

Ajantha Mendis was declared player of the match whereas Sanath Jayasuriya who topped the batting cards with 378 runs, was declared player of the series. Ajantha Mendis lead the bowling charts 17 wickets.

10^th Edition – Asia Cup 2010 (15-24 June 2010) – History of Asia Cup

The tenth edition was played in Sri Lanka with 4 teams (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) on round robin format. A total of 7 matches were played where India and Sri Lanka met again at Dambulla in their 4^th consecutive Asia Cup final. India batted first after winning the toss and scored 268/6(50) where Dinesh Karthik top scored with 66 (84) while Thilina Kandamby took 2-37(7). In response, Sri Lanka scored 187 all out in 44.4 where Chamara Kapugedera top scored with 55*(88) and Ashish Nehra took 4-40(9).

India won its 5^th title by 81 runs where Dinesh Karthik was declared player of the match. Shahid Afridi was declared player of the series where he topped the batting charts with 265 runs. Lasith Maling took the most wickets (9).

11^th Edition – Asia Cup 2012 (11-22 March 2012) – History of Asia Cup

The eleventh edition was played in Bangladesh with 4 teams (Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan) on round robin format. A total of 7 matches were played where Bangladesh and Pakistan met in the final at Mirpur. It was Bangladesh’s 1^st ever Asia Cup final whereas Pakistan was playing only in its 3^rd final in Asia Cup.

Bangladesh invited Pakistan to bat first after winning the toss. Pakistan scored 236/9(50) with the help of Sarfaraz Ahmed’s fighting 46*(52) whereas Abdur Razzak took 2-26(10). In reply, Bangladesh just fell short of the target and scored 234/8(50) where Shakib ul Hasan top scored with 68(72). Aizaz Cheema, who bowled the last over, took 3-46(7) and defended the 9 runs to help Pakistan win its only 2^nd Asia Cup by just 2 runs.

Shahid Afridi was declared the player of the match whereas Shakib ul Hasan was nominated player of the series. Virat Kohli topped the batting charts with 357 runs whereas Umar Gul topped the bowling charts with 9 wickets.

Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100^th international century in this tournament against Bangladesh and played his last ever ODI match against Pakistan.

12^th Edition – Asia Cup 2014 (25 Feb – 8 March 2014) – History of Asia Cup

The twelfth edition was again played in Bangladesh on the same format as of 2012 but with the addition of Afghanistan as fifth team. It was Afghanistan’s first ODI tournament. A total of 11 matches were played where Pakistan and Sri Lanka met in the final at Mirpur. Pakistan batted first after winning the toss and scored 260/5(50) where Fawad Alam scored 114(134) whereas Lasith Malinga took 5-56(10).

In response, Sri Lanka comfortably chased down the target and scored 261/5 (46.2) where Lahiru Thirimanne scored 101 (108) while Saeed Ajmal took 3-26 (10). Sri Lanka won its 5^th Asia Cup by 5 wickets. Thirimanne was declared both player of the match and series for scoring the most runs (279) in this event. Lasith Malinga and Saeed Ajmal both topped the bowling charts with 11 wickets each.

13^th Edition – Asia Cup 2016 (24 Feb – 6 Mar 2016) – History of Asia Cup

The thirteenth edition was played again in Bangladesh on round robin format with 5 teams where UAE played in place of Afghanistan after winning a qualifier round held from 19-22 Feb 2016. It was the first time that the event was played in T20 format for preparation of World T20 Cup held in March 2016 in India.

Bangladesh and India met in the final which was reduced to 15 overs per innings due to rain. India won the toss and invited Bangladesh to bat. Bangladesh scored 120/5(15) where Mahmudullah Riyad top scored with 33*(13) while Jasprit Bumrah took 1/13(3). India chased down the target by scoring 122/2 (13.5) where Shikar Dhawan scored 60(44) while Taskin Ahmed took 1-14(3). India won its 6^th Asia Cup by 8 wickets.

Shikar Dhawan was declared player of the match. Sabbir Rehman was declared the player of the series who also scored the most runs (176) and Al-Amin Hossain took the most wickets (11).

14^th Edition – Asia Cup 2018 (15-28 Sep 2018) – History of Asia Cup

The fourteenth edition was played in UAE after 22 years on the same format as that of 2004 and 2008. It was played in ODIs format with 6 teams (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and UAE) which were divided into 2 groups and further involved the Super Four stage.

Like 2016 Asia Cup final, Bangladesh and India again met in the final at Dubai where India won the toss and elected to field first. Bangladesh scored 222 all out in 48.3 overs where Litton Das top scored with 121(117) while Kuldeep Yadav took 3-45(10). India chased down the target on the last ball of the match by scoring 223/7(50) where Rohit Sharma top scored with 48(55) while Rubel Hossain took 2-26(10).

Thus, India won its record 7^th Asia Cup by 3 wickets. Litton Das was announced player of the match. Shikhar Dhawan, who scored the most runs (342), was declared player of the series. On the other hand, Rashid Khan, Mustafizur Rahman and Kuldeep Yadav, all took 10 wickets each.

15^th Edition – Asia Cup 2023 (Sep 2023) – History of Asia Cup

The fifteenth edition was played on the same format as previous edition but was changed to T20s for the preparation of T20 World Cup being played in Australia later that year. 6 teams (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Hong Kong) participated in the tournament which were divided into 2 groups and further involved the Super Four stage.

A total of 13 matches were played in the tournament where Pakistan and Sri Lanka reached the final of the tournament. Some classic matches were witnessed in this tournament where Bangladesh couldn’t qualify to the Super 4s stage. India was also outclassed by Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the Super 4s.

Sri Lanka batted first in the final where Pakistan completely dominated them in the first half of the innings. At one stage, Sri Lanka were 58-5 but they bounced back and went on to score 170-6. Bhanuka Rajapaksa played an outstanding innings of 71 off 45 balls. He was well supported bu Wanindu Hasaranga with 36 off 21. Haris Raud was the pick of the bowlers for his 3-29. Pakistan fielding was extremely poor in the match and dropped a few catches which cost them the final.

Pakistani batting line up couldn’t fulfil the expectations as they were the favorites to win the Asia Cup and were bundled out for 147, losing the final by 23 runs. Muhammad Rizwan scored 55 off 49 whereas Iftikhar scored 32 off 31. 8 Pakistani batters were bundled out for single digit scores. Pramud Madushan took 4-34 and Wanindu Hasaranga took 3-27. Bhanuka Rajapaksa was declared the man of the final. It was Sri Lanka’s 6^th Asia Cup title.

Wanindu Hasaranga was declared man of the series for his 9 wickets in the tournament.

Mohammad Rizwan topped the batting charts with 281 runs whereas Bhuvneshwar Kumar topped the bowling charts with 11 wickets.

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FAQs

1. When was the first Asia Cup held, and who emerged as the winner?

– The first Asia Cup was held in 1984, and India won the inaugural tournament.

 

2. Which country has won the most Asia Cup titles, and how many titles have they won?

– India has been the most successful team in the Asia Cup, winning a total of 7 titles.

 

3. Which edition of the Asia Cup was played in T20 format, and what was the reason for this format change?

– The 15th edition of the Asia Cup, held in 2023, was played in T20 format to prepare teams for the T20 World Cup later that year.

 

4. In which edition of the Asia Cup did Sachin Tendulkar score his 100th international century, and against which opponent?

– Sachin Tendulkar scored his 100th international century in the 2012 Asia Cup, and he achieved this milestone against Bangladesh.

 

5. Who won the 2022 Asia Cup, and who were the key players awarded the Man of the Final and Man of the Series in that tournament?

– Sri Lanka won the 2022 Asia Cup, with Bhanuka Rajapaksa being named the Man of the Final, and Wanindu Hasaranga receiving the Man of the Series award.