The 2018 Asia Cup gets under way in Abu Dhabi and Dubai from September 15 to 28. The 50-over tournament features six teams
The six participating teams are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Hong Kong.
The teams are split into two groups. Group A consists of India, Pakistan and Hong Kong while Group B has Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Each team plays the other in the same group once.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the second stage, called the Super Four.
The four teams in this stage will play each other once. The top two will qualify for the final in Dubai on September 28.
The tournament reverts to the 50-over format. The previous edition, in 2016, was played as a Twenty20 tournament, in order to prepare the teams for the ICC World T20 that followed after the tournament. This time though the change in the format should help the teams (save for Hong Kong) prepare for the 50-over 2019 World Cup in England
Sri Lanka are the second-most successful side in Asia Cup history behind India, having won the tournament five times since its inception in 1984. The most recent of those wins came in 2014 when they beat Pakistan in the final by 5 wickets.
However, their form leading up to the tournament so far has been mixed, to say the least. While they won the One-Day International tri-series featuring Bangladesh and Zimbabwe before the Nidahas Trophy Twenty20 International tri-series, they suffered a 5-0 ODI drubbing at the hands of Pakistan prior to that and also lost 2-1 in a three-match ODI series to India.
They also recently suffered a 3-2 ODI series loss at home to South Africa despite beating the hosts 2-0 in a two-match Test series just prior to that. It’s safe to say they don’t come into the tournament in the best of form, but they are an Asian cricket heavyweight and cannot be discounted.
Placed in Group B alongside Bangladesh and Afghanistan, Sri Lanka will have to be at their best to make it out of the group.
Bangladesh will be looking to go one better than last time, where they reached the final before losing to India, as they look to win their first ever Asia Cup title. The Bangla Tigers can be a force to reckon with in Asian conditions and have become more consistent in the last couple of years. In the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Shakib-Al-Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mashrafe Mortaza, the team has developed a strong core with support from the likes of Mahmudullah, Mustafizur Rahman and Mehidy Hassan.
Placed in Group B along with Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, Bangladesh find themselves in the group of death but are also capable of topping the group. Here is a SWOT analysis of the team along with a prediction for the tournament.
Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews(capt), Kusal Perera, Kusal Mendis, Upul Tharanga, Thisara Perera, Dasun Shanaka, Dhananjaya de Silva, Akila Dananjaya, Dilruwan Perera, Amila Aponso, Kasun Rajitha, Suranga Lakmal, Dushmantha Chameera, Lasith Malinga, Niroshan Dickwella, Shehan Jayasuriya
Bangladesh: Shakib Al Hasan, Tamim Iqbal, Mashrafe Mortaza(capt), Mohammad Mithun, Liton Das, Mushfiqur Rahim, Ariful Haque, Mahmudullah, Mosaddek Hossain, Mehidy Hasan, Nazmul Islam, Rubel Hossain, Mustafizur Rahman, Abu Hider Rony, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Mominul Haque
2018 Asia Cup 2018 Schedule
League Stage
15 September: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka in Dubai
16 September: Pakistan vs Hong Kong in Dubai
17 September: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi
18 September: India vs Hong Kong in Dubai
19 September: India vs Pakistan in Dubai
20 September: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan in Abu Dhabi
Super Fours
21 September: Group A Winner vs Group B Runner-up in Dubai
21 September: Group B Winner vs Group A Runner-up in Abu Dhabi
23 September: Group A Winner vs Group A Runner-up in Dubai
23 September: Group B Winner vs Group B Runner-up in Abu Dhabi
25 September: Group A Winner vs Group B Winner in Dubai
26 September: Group A Runner-up vs Group B Runner-up in Abu Dhabi
Final
28 September:
No comments:
Post a Comment