Asia Cup 2022 is in the final stage as Pakistan will play Sri Lanka at the finals on Sunday. After India and Afghanistan's exit, South Asian neighbours will play on September 9, Friday and September 11, Sunday. As of now, India has the best track record, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan are the only other teams who have won the tournament.
Though, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan are the only cricket teams to clinch the trophy in 14 seasons of the tournament. The 15th season of the Asia Cup witnessed Hong Kong, Bangladesh and Afghanistan as the other three participants.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bowl first. After putting Pakistan to bat, Sri Lanka restricted them for 121 runs in 19.1 overs. The heroes of Sri Lank bowling were Maheesh Theekshana for 2 wickets for 21, and Wanindu Hasaranga for picking 3 wickets for 21 runs. Babar Azam was the top scorer for Pakistan with 30 runs off 29 deliveries.
While chasing 122 runs, Sri Lanka lost their first two wickets in two overs. Later on, they lost one more wicket in the 5th over, making it 3 wickets for 29 runs. However, Pathum Nissanka stayed along with Bhanuka Rajapaksa to build a stable partnership. After the dismissal of Rajapaksa, skipper Dasun Shanaka came to the rescue. As a result, Sri Lanka chased down 121 runs within 17 overs.
Asia Cup 2022 Points Table: Super 4
Team | Matches Played | Won | Lost | NRR | Points |
Sri Lanka (Q) | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0.701 | 6 |
Pakistan (Q) | 3 | 2 | 1 | -0.279 | 4 |
India (E) | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1.607 | 2 |
Afghanistan (E) | 3 | 0 | 3 | -2.006 | 0 |
Asia Cup 2022 Points Table: Group A and Group B Group A |
Team | Matches | Win | Loss | NRR | Points |
India (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 1.096 | 4 |
Pakistan (Q) | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3.811 | 0 |
Hong Kong (E) | 2 | 0 | 2 | -4.875 | 0 |
Group B |
Team | Matches | Win | Loss | NRR | Points |
Afghanistan (Q) | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2.467 | 4 |
Sri Lanka (Q) | 2 | 1 | 1 | -2.233 | 2 |
Bangladesh (E) | 2 | 0 | 2 | -0.576 | 0 |
Asia Cup 2022: Key moments
Match 1, Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka: Afghanistan defeated Sri Lanka by 8 wickets
Afghanistan Cricket Team looked exceptionally good with the bowl and the bat as they thrashed the Lankan lions with 8 wickets with more than 9 overs to spare. Fazalhaq Farooqui's 3 wickets for 11 runs and Rahmanullah Gurbaz's blitzing knock of 40 from 18 balls helped Afghanistan start their campaign on a happy note.
Match 2, India vs Pakistan: India defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets.
Indian Cricket Team managed a good NRR after defeating Pakistan in the first match of Asia Cup 2022. While chasing 148 runs in the second innings, Hardik Pandya emerged as the hero of the match. As India finished it off in the last over, Hardik Pandya was awarded Player of the match.
Match 3, Afghanistan vs Bangladesh: Afghanistan defeated Bangladesh by 7 wickets.
Afghanistan Cricket team has proved their mettle after qualifying for the next stage of the tournament. The Afghans looked dominant throughout the game and managed to chase 127 runs in the 19th over. Rashid Khan, Mujeeb-ur-Rahman Zadran, Ibrahim Zadran and Najibullah Zadran delivered the match-winning performance. Mujeeb ur Rahman was awarded player of the match for bagging 3 wickets for 16 runs in his spell.
Match 4, India vs Hong Kong: India defeated Hong Kong by 40 runs
India's batting lineup showed its full potential as Suryakumar Yadav scored 68* off 26 deliveries, while Virat Kohli also managed a 59* of 44 deliveries. India batted first and set up a target of 193 for Hong Kong.
In the second innings, Hong Kong tried its best but came 40 runs short. The top scorer of Hong Kong was Babar Hayat for his mature 41 off 35 deliveries. Indian seamers took 3 wickets, while spinner Ravindra Jadeja also dismissed one player. Suryakumar Yadav was awarded the player of the match.
Match 5, Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh: Sri Lanka defeated Bangladesh by 2 wickets.
Once again, Dubai International Cricket stadium exhibited a nail-biting thriller between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Bangladesh scored 183 runs for the loss of 7 wickets in the first innings. The top scorer for Bangladesh was Afif Hussain with 39 off 22 deliveries. Maheesh Theekshana was Sri Lanka's most efficient bowler with 1 wicket for 23 runs. Wanindu Hasaranga and Chamika Karunaratne took 2 wicket each.
While chasing 184 runs, Sri Lanka batsmen trembled a lot. While Kushal Mendis played a crucial knock of 60 runs off 37 deliveries, other batsmen failed to impress. However, Dasun Shanka, Chamitha Karunaratne and Asitha Fernando chased helped Sri Lanka chase down the total in the 20th over. Kusal Mendis was awarded player of the match for his exceptional batting.
Match 6, Pakistan vs Hong Kong: Pakistan defeated Hong Kong by 155 runs.
Pakistan defeated Hong Kong by 155 runs in the Asia Cup in a one-sided match. Hong Kong won the toss and chose to bowl first. Captain Babar Azam failed to impress once again, while Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Rizwan scored half-centuries. Khushdil smashed four sixes in the last over to help Pakistan score 193 runs for the loss of two wickets.
Hong Kong came to bat and failed miserably against the mighty Pakistani bowling line-up. While chasing a target of 194, Hong Kong trembled in the first 10 overs and ended their Asia cup journey while scoring the lowest total of the season, and the lowest at Sharjah Cricket stadium. Mohammad Rizwan was awarded "player of the match".
Asia Cup 2022: Super 4 results
Sept 3: Match 1, Super 4, SL vs AFG: Sri Lanka defeats Afghanistan by 4 wickets
Sri Lanka avenged their defeat in 19.1 overs against Afghanistan. Kusal Mendis was the key player who scored 36 off 19 deliveries, with Rajapaksa who scored a 14 ball 31 to chases 179 in the Sharjah Cricket stadium. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was awarded "player of the match" for his quickfire 84 runs of 45 balls.
Sept 4: Match 2, Super 4, Ind vs Pak: Pakistan defeated India by 5 wickets
Pakistan succesfully chased 182 runs against India in 19.5 overs. Mohammad Rizwan was Pakistan's top batsman, while Mohammad Nawaz was awarded 'Player of the match' for his 42(20) and one wicket for 25 runs.
Sept 6: Match 3, Super 4: Ind vs SL: Sri Lanka defeated India by 6 wickets
Table toppers Sri Lanka defeated favourites India in the third match of the Super 4 Asia Cup. Kusal Mendis, Danusa Shanaka and Bhanuka Rajapaksa were the top players of the match for Sri Lanka. Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin were only bowlers to pick wickets for India in the second innings. Dasun Shanaka was awarded player of the match for exceptional bowling and batting.
Sept 6: Match 4, Super 4: Afg vs Pak: Pakistan defeated Afghanistan by a wicket
While chasing 130 runs, Pakistan's top-order succumbed against Rashid, Fazalhaq and Fareed's bowling. However, a powerful knock of 36 runs by Shadab Khan, 16 off 8 balls by Asif Ali, and 14 off 4 deliveries by Naseem Shah helped Pakistan get into the Asia Cup 2022 finals. Shadab Khan was awarded player of the match.
Sept 8: Match 4, Super 4: Afg vs India: India defeated Afghanistan by 101 runs
Virat Kohli scored his 71st International century against Afghanistan and helped India register a total of 212 runs in the first innings. While chasing 212 runs, Afghanistan batting succumbed against Bhuvaneshwar Kumar's super bowling. However, Ibrahim Zadran helped Afghanistan get to a respectable total. Virat Kohli was awarded 'Player of the match.
Sept 9: Match 4, Super 4:SL vs Pak: Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan by 5 wickets
Dasun Shanaka's men stayed dominant against Pakistan. In first innings, spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana bowled out Pakistan for 121 runs. While chasing 122 runs, Sri Lanka looked hesitant in the first few overs. However, Pathum Nissanka played a crucial knock of 55* to help team cross the line. Wanindu Hasaranga was awarded 'player of the match' for his all-round performance.
Asia Cup 2022: List of Winners Year | Season | Host | Winner | Runner-up |
2022 | 15th | Sri Lanka | – | – |
2018 | 14th | UAE | India | Bangladesh |
2016 | 13th | Bangladesh | India | Bangladesh |
2014 | 12th | Bangladesh | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
2012 | 11th | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Bangladesh |
2010 | 10th | Sri Lanka | India | Sri Lanka |
2008 | 9th | Pakistan | Sri Lanka | India |
2004 | 8th | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | India |
2000 | 7th | Bangladesh | Pakistan | Sri Lanka |
1997 | 6th | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | India |
1995 | 5th | UAE | India | Sri Lanka |
1990-91 | 4th | India | India | Sri Lanka |
1988 | 3rd | Bangladesh | India | Sri Lanka |
1986 | 2nd | Sri Lanka | Sri Lanka | Pakistan |
1984 | 1st | UAE | India | Sri Lanka |
Asia Cup 2022: What is Net Run Rate (NRR)?
Net Run Rate (NRR) is some of the difficult yet important concepts in cricket and football. In cricket, NRR is calculated by the average runs scored by a team throughout the competition, the average runs per over conceded against that team throughout the tournament.
NRR is positive when a team scores faster than its overall opposition, while a negative NRR implies scores slower than the opposing teams.
Asia Cup 2022: Points Table Rules
Asia Cup 2022 will have the same rules as Asia Cup Qualifiers 2022. Given below are some essential rules of Asia Cup 2022:
- The winning team will be rewarded with two points, while there would not be any points deducted for losing the match.
- If the match gets tied, abandoned or ends with no result, both teams will get one point each.
- When two teams will have an equal number of wins, losses or ties, NRR would be the qualifying factor.
- The top four teams from both the groups, group A and group B will play thenext stage of tournament to qualify for the finals.
Asia Cup 2022 Schedule Asia Cup 2022 will be played from August 27, 2022 and will feature 13 matches among six different teams. Though India are stll the favourites to win the trophy, there's more to this tournatment. Check out the schedule given below.
Date | Match | Venue |
Saturday, August 27, 2022 | Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Dubai |
Sunday, August 28, 2022 | India vs Pakistan | Dubai |
Tuesday, August 30, 2022 | Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Sharjah |
Wednesday, August 31, 2022 | India vs Hong Kong | Dubai |
Thursday, September 1, 2022 | Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Dubai |
Friday, September 2, 2022 | Pakistan vs Sri Lanka | Sharjah |
Saturday, September 3, 2022 | Afghanistan vs Sri Lanka | Sharjah |
Sunday, September 4, 2022 | India vs Pakistan | Dubai |
Tuesday, September 6, 2022 | India vs Sri Lanka | Dubai |
Wednesday, September 7, 2022 | Pakistan vs Afghanistan | Dubai |
Thursday, September 8, 2022 | India vs Afghanistan | Dubai |
Friday, September 9, 2022 | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Dubai |
Sunday, September 11, 2022 | Sri Lanka vs Pakistan | Dubai |
Read more | Asia Cup 2022: Groups, schedule, venue, team list and full squad
(Written by Zuhair Zaidi)