Pakistan start as favorite for mega event
Cricket’s biggest event of the year 2018 – Asia Cup – is set to begin in the United Arab Emirates from September 15.
Asia Cup will be played over the course of 14 days in Dubai and Abu Dhabi with the opening game to be played between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India will be defending their title, but will go in the tournament without the services of regular captain and star batsman Virat Kohli, who will miss the tournament to manage workload. In his absence, opener Rohit Sharma will lead the Men in Blue and will have the services of experienced players like MS Dhoni, Shikhar Dhawan and youngsters like KL Rahul.
India’s arch-rivals Pakistan will start the tournament as one of the favorites alongside the defending champions after having an impressive run in the last year or so. The team will be revolved around the veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik, whereas the bowling department will be led by pacer Mohammad Amir. It will be interesting to see how the team will cope without veteran all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who is being replaced by opener Shan Masood.
Sri Lanka will start the tournament on a positive note after beating South Africa in their last 50-over assignment and therefore, they are surely capable of going all the way.
Bangladesh will enter in the tournament as one of the underdogs, but are fully capable of causing an upset against any team in the tournament. Afghanistan will come into a mega event for the first time after getting their Test status, so they will be eager to leave their mark in the event.
Hong Kong will enter in the tournament as the real minnow and any surprise is highly unlikely as they are placed alongside two tournament favorites. The weather is expected to stay dry and warm, whereas the pitches are expected to be a good one for batting in both Dubai and Abu Dhabi.
Asia Cup 2018 Schedule
1st game – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
Saturday, Sep 15, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
2nd game – Pakistan vs Hong Kong
Sunday, Sep 16, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
3rd game– Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan
Monday, Sep 17, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
4th game – India vs Hong Kong
Tuesday, Sep 18, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
5th game – India vs Pakistan
Wednesday, Sep 19, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
6th game– Afghanistan vs Bangladesh
Thursday, Sep 20, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
SUPER FOUR
7th game– Group A winner vs Group B runner-up
Friday, Sep 21, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
8th game – Group B winner vs Group B runner-up
Friday, Sep 21, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
9th game– Group A winner vs Group A runner-up
Sunday, Sep 23, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
10th game – Group B winner vs Group B runner-up
Sunday, Sep 23, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
11th game – Group A winner vs Group B winner
Tuesday, Sep 25, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
12th game – Group A runner-up vs Group B runner-up
Wednesday, Sep 26, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
Final – T.B.C vs T.B.C
Friday, Sep 28, 2018, at 11:30 GMT
