What is the Asia Cup in cricket?

The Asia Cup is the only continental championship in cricket. It is played amongst the member nations of the Asian Cricket Council. The tournament determines the strongest cricketing nation of Asia.

In 1983, the Asian Cricket Council was established. The first edition of the tournament was held in 1984. The tournament is held every two years. Over the years, political turmoil has often affected the participation of teams, leading to changes in venues and under-participation of teams.

Between 1984 to 2014, every edition of the Asia Cup was played in the One Day International format. However, starting in 2016, the format has alternated between ODI and T20. The tournament featured a round robin format in its earliest editions. In the 1990s, the tournament saw a phase wise progression, with the group stage being followed by Super fours and knockout rounds. However, there formats have never been consistent and are largely dependent on the total number of participating teams.

The latest edition of the event took place in 2023. A total of six teams participated that were divided into two groups of three teams each. The top two teams from each group qualify for the Super 4. After six Super 4 matches, the top two teams will contest the finals. India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh have made the maximum appearances. Afghanistan, Hong Kong and Nepal have also made infrequent appearances. Five teams qualify based on their full-time ICC membership. These teams are India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The sixth team qualifies based on its performance in the Asian Cricket Council’s Premier Cup.

The most successful team in the Asia Cup is India, having won 6 titles in the ODI format and 1 in the T20 format. The most successful batter in the history of Asia Cup is Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya, who amassed 1220 runs at the Asia Cup. The most successful bowler is Muttiah Muralitharan with 30 wickets. In the T20 format of the Asia Cup, Virat Kohli is the most successful batter, having scored 429 runs. The most successful bowler is Bhuvaneshwar Kumar with 13 wickets.

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