New Delhi: The likes of Babar Azam and Jasprit Bumrah can end up playing together for the same team if the forgotten Afro-Asia Cup is revived again. Efforts are currently underway to bring the intercontinental series back to life. The series which kickstarted in the mid-2000s saw a combined Asia XI lock horns with Africa XI, attracting eyeballs from across the globe.
The first Asia-Afro Cup took place in the year 2005 when Inzamam-ul-Haq-led Asia XI took on Shaun Pollock-led Africa XI in a three-match ODI series. The series ended in a 1-1 draw with both teams managing a win apiece. The Asia XI featured the likes of Virender Sehwag, Shahid Afridi, Zaheer Khan and Shoaib Akhtar among others playing together for the same team.
The Asia XI constituted of players from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh while the Africa XI was made up of cricketers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya. Some high-quality cricket was played between the two teams in the inaugural series which turned out to be a success.
The last Asia-Afro Cup took place in 20017 when Mahela Jayawardene-led Asia XI clean swept the three-match ODI series 3-0 and also won the sole T20I between the two teams. The likes of Sehwag, MS Dhoni, Yuvraj Singh and Sourav Ganguly were part of the Asia XI alongside Mohammad Yousuf of Pakistan and former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza.
The series was scrapped post 2007 due to the increasing political tensions between India and Pakistan which also resulted in the suspension of bilateral ties between the two countries. India and Pakistan have not played bilateral cricket against each other since 2009 and continue to meet only in major ICC events.
Afro-Asia Cup to be back?
There were reports last year that the organisers were considering bringing the tournament back in T20 format. However, nothing materialised. But as per the latest report in Forbes, efforts are still being made to revive the tournament and conduct a potential third edition of the Afro-Asia Cup.
Sumod Damodar, the former chairman of Africa Cricket Association (ACA) said he regretted not trying hard enough to revive the series but insisted it is being looked at again.
“Personally, I am very hurt that it (Afro-Asia Cup) didn’t happen. There was not adequate momentum through the ACA, but it is being looked at again. I think it was basically a lack of understanding and not buying into the concept. Our members are regretting it. It needed to be pushed by Africa,” Damodar was quoted as saying by Forbes.
If the tournament is revived again, it will be great news for cricket fans around the world, who will be able to see the best cricketers from both continents pitted against each other. It would also mean the top stars from India and Pakistan, including the likes of Babar, Bumrah, Mohammad Rizwan, Hardik Pandya, Shaheen Afridi and Suryakumar Yadav can all be playing for the same team.
Talks are underway to revive the Afro-Asia Cup, an intercontinental series involving cricketers from Asia and Africa competing against each other. If revived successfully, the tournament might feature the best of India and Pakistan in the same team. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
