The 2018 Asia Cup (also known as Unimoni Asia Cup for sponsorship reasons) was a

One-Day International A One Day International (ODI) is a form of limited overs cricket, played between two teams with international status, in which each team faces a fixed number of overs, currently 50, with the game lasting up to 9 hours. The Cricket World Cup ...

(ODI)

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...

tournament that was held in the

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE; ar, اَلْإِمَارَات الْعَرَبِيَة الْمُتَحِدَة ), or simply the Emirates ( ar, الِْإمَارَات ), is a country in Western Asia (The Middle East). It is located at th ...

in September 2018. It was the 14th edition of the Asia Cup and the third time the tournament was played in the United Arab Emirates, after the

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

and

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

tournaments.

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

were the defending champions, and retained their title, after beating Bangladesh by three wickets in the final. The five full members of the

Asian Cricket Council The Asian Cricket Council also known as ACC is a cricket organisation which was established in 1983, to promote and develop the sport of cricket in Asia. Subordinate to the International Cricket Council, the council is the continent's regional ...

took part in the tournament:

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...

Bangladesh Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

and

Sri Lanka Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්‍රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...

. They were joined by

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ( abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...

, who won the 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier tournament. Hong Kong had lost their ODI status after finishing tenth in the 2018 Cricket World Cup Qualifier in March. However, on 9 September 2018, the

International Cricket Council The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...

(ICC) awarded ODI status to all matches in the tournament.

Background

Originally, the tournament was scheduled to be played in India. It was moved to the United Arab Emirates, following ongoing political tensions between India and Pakistan. On 29 October 2015, following the

(ACC) meeting in

Singapore Singapore (), officially the Republic of Singapore, is a sovereign island country and city-state in maritime Southeast Asia. It lies about one degree of latitude () north of the equator, off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, borde ...

, the

Board of Control for Cricket in India The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is the national governing body for cricket in India. Its headquarters are situated at Cricket centre, Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The BCCI is the richest governing body of cricket in the world ...

(BCCI) secretary stated that the 2018 edition of the tournament would be held in India. In August 2017, the BCCI sought government clearance to host the tournament, after the 2017 ACC Under-19 Asia Cup was moved to Malaysia. In April 2018,

Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan ( ar, مُحَمّد بِن زَايد آل نَهيَان, Moḥamed bin Zāyed Āl Nahyān; born 11 March 1961), colloquially known by his initials as MBZ, is the third president of the United Arab Emirates ...

, the Crown Prince of

Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi (, ; ar, أَبُو ظَبْيٍ ' ) is the capital and second-most populous city (after Dubai) of the United Arab Emirates. It is also the capital of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi and the centre of the Abu Dhabi Metropolitan Area. ...

, asked if the BCCI and ACC would consider hosting the tournament in Abu Dhabi, in a bid to ensure Pakistan's participation. Pakistan were scheduled to host the 2018 ACC Emerging Teams Asia Cup ahead of the tournament in April. With the announcement that the Asia Cup would be played in the United Arab Emirates, the Emerging Teams Asia Cup was moved to December 2018, with Sri Lanka co-hosting the tournament with Pakistan.

Format

The schedule and format of the tournament was announced on 24 July 2018, with the six teams split into two groups of three. The top two teams from each of the groups progressed to the Super Four section of the tournament. From there, the top two teams of the Super Four section played each other in the final. Initially, the team that finishes second in Group A were scheduled to play their first Super Four game in Abu Dhabi. However, India would be based in Dubai, irrespective of where they finish in the pool. On 19 September 2018, the

(ACC) revised the schedule for the Super Four section The captains of Bangladesh and Pakistan were both critical of the ACC's new schedule.

Teams

* , ICC Full Member * , ICC Full Member * , ICC Full Member * , ICC Full Member * , ICC Full Member * , 2018 Asia Cup Qualifier

Squads

Before the start of the tournament,

Wafadar Momand Wafadar Momand (born 1 February 2000) is an Afghan cricketer. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Afghanistan's first ever Test match, against India, in June 2018. Domestic career He made his List A debut for Boost Region in the 201 ...

was ruled out of Afghanistan's squad due to injury and was replaced by

Yamin Ahmadzai Mohammad Yamin Ahmadzai (born 25 July 1992) is an Afghan cricketer. Ahmadzai is a right-handed batsman who bowls right-arm medium-fast. He was born in Laghman Province. He was one of the eleven cricketers to play in Afghanistan's first ever Test ...

, and

Mominul Haque Mominul Haque ( bn, মমিনুল হক; born 29 September 1991), also known as Muminul Showrav, is a Bangladeshi cricketer who is a former captain of the Bangladesh national team in Test matches. He is a left-handed batter. Domestic c ...

was added to Bangladesh's squad.

Dinesh Chandimal Lokuge Dinesh Chandimal ( si, ලොකුගේ දිනේෂ් චන්දිමාල්; born 18 November 1989) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who captained the Sri Lanka national cricket team. A handy and agile right-handed ba ...

and

Danushka Gunathilaka Mashtayage Danushka Gunathilaka (born 17 March 1991) is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer who plays as a top-order batter in all forms of the game. He has also been occasionally sidelined due to disciplinary issues. He is currently released on ...

were ruled out of Sri Lanka's squad due to injury. They were replaced by

Niroshan Dickwella Dickwella Patabendige Dilantha Niroshan Dickwella, known as Niroshan Dickwella (born 23 June 1993), is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who plays all formats of the game for Sri Lanka. A left-hand batsman, he also plays as a wicket-keeper of ...

and

Shehan Jayasuriya Gampalage Shehan Naveendra De Fonseka Gunawarna Jayasuriya, or commonly Shehan Jayasuriya ( si, ශෙහාන් ජයසූරිය; born 12 September 1991), is a professional Sri Lankan cricketer, who played for Chilaw Marians in Sri Lank ...

respectively. Bangladesh's

Tamim Iqbal Tamim Iqbal Khan (Bengali: তামিম ইকবাল খান; born 20 March 1989), more popularly known as Tamim Iqbal, is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is the nephew of former Bangladesh skipper Akram Khan, the current chief selector of ...

suffered a wrist injury in the opening match and was ruled out of the rest of the tournament. After the conclusion of the India-Pakistan match in the group stage,

Hardik Pandya Hardik Himanshu Pandya (born 11 October 1993) is an Indian international cricketer. An All-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right-arm fast-medium, Pandya has played in all 3 formats for India. He also plays for Baroda cricket team in do ...

Axar Patel Axar Rajeshbhai Patel, also spelled as Akshar Patel, (born 20 January 1994) is an Indian international cricketer who plays for the Indian cricket team in all formats of the game as a bowling All-rounder. He also plays for Gujarat in domestic cr ...

and

Shardul Thakur Shardul Narendra Thakur (born 16 October 1991) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a bowling all-rounder who bats right-handed and bowls right arm medium pace. Domestic career Thakur was initially criticized for his lack of height for ...

were all ruled out of India's squad for the rest of the tournament due to injuries. They were replaced by

Ravindra Jadeja Ravindrasinh Anirudhsinh Jadeja (born 6 December 1988), commonly known as Ravindra Jadeja, is an Indian international cricketer. He is an all-rounder, who bats left-handed and bowls left-arm orthodox spin. He was the captain of the Chennai Su ...

Deepak Chahar Deepak Chahar (born 7 August 1992) is an Indian international cricketer. He is a right-arm medium pace swing bowler, who plays for Rajasthan in domestic cricket and Chennai Super Kings in the Indian Premier League. In 2019, he became the fir ...

and

Siddarth Kaul Siddarth Kaul (born 19 May 1990), also spelled Siddharth Kaul, is an Indian professional cricketer. A fast bowler who bowls at about 130 km/h, he made his first-class debut for Punjab in 2007. Kaul was a part of the victorious India Unde ...

. At the Super Four stage of the tournament,

Soumya Sarkar Soumya Sarkar ( bn, সৌম্য সরকার; born 25 February 1993) is a Bangladeshi cricketer. He is a left-handed batsman and a right arm medium-fast bowler who mainly plays as an opening batsman and the creator of the good looking " S ...

and

Imrul Kayes Imrul Kayes ( bn, ইমরুল কায়েস; born 2 February 1987) is a Bangladeshi international cricketer who played for Khulna Division as a left-hand batsman and occasional wicket-keeper. International career He made his first-cla ...

were added to Bangladesh's squad.

Shakib Al Hasan Shakib Al Hasan (Bengali: সাকিব আল হাসান; born 24 March 1987) is a Bangladeshi cricketer and current captain of the Bangladesh national cricket team in Tests and T20Is. He plays for Barishal in domestic cricket as an all- ...

was ruled out of Bangladesh's final Super Four match, and the rest of the tournament, due to an injury he initially sustained in January 2018, during the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the Bangladesh Tri-Nation Series.

Match officials

The ICC appointed the following

umpires An umpire is an official in a variety of sports and competition, responsible for enforcing the rules of the sport, including sportsmanship decisions such as ejection. The term derives from the Old French nonper, ''non'', "not" and ''per'', ...

and

match referee A match referee is an official appointed to oversee professional cricket matches. Match referees for Test matches and One Day Internationals are appointed by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Most matches below international level do not ...

s for all thirteen matches. Six match officiating umpires were from participating countries of the Asia Cup who are the members of ICC International Panel of Umpires, four umpires were from neutral countries, while the remaining two umpires belonged to the

Elite Panel of ICC Umpires The Elite Panel of ICC Umpires is a panel of cricket umpires appointed by the International Cricket Council to officiate in Test matches and One Day Internationals around the world. The panel was first established in April 2002 when the ICC deci ...

. ; Match Referees *

David Boon David Clarence Boon (born 29 December 1960) is an Australian cricket match referee, former cricket commentator and international cricketer whose international playing career spanned the years 1984–1996. A right-handed batsman and a very oc ...

Andy Pycroft Andrew John Pycroft (born 6 June 1956) is a former Zimbabwean cricketer who played in 3 Test matches and 20 One Day Internationals from 1983 to 1992. Domestic career He played for Rhodesia prior to Zimbabwe's independence. He also represented ...

; Umpires from participating nations * Ahmed Shah Pakteen * Anisur Rahman * Anil Chaudhary * Nitin Menon *

Chettithody Shamshuddin Chettithody Shamshuddin (born 22 March 1970) is an Indian cricket umpire. He is a member of the Emirates International Panel of ICC Umpires in the on-field category and officiates in One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T2 ...

Ahsan Raza Ahsan Raza (born 29 May 1974 in Lahore, Pakistan) is a Pakistani cricket umpire and former cricketer. In November 2020, in the second Twenty20 International (T20I) between Pakistan and Zimbabwe, he stood in his 50th T20I match as an on-field u ...

* Ruchira Palliyaguruge ; Umpires from neutral countries *

Rod Tucker Rodney James Tucker (born 28 August 1964) is an Australian cricket umpire, member of the ICC Elite Umpire Panel and officiates in international Tests, ODIs and T20Is. He was a cricketer who played briefly for New South Wales from 1985/86 to 198 ...

Marais Erasmus Marais Erasmus (born 27 February 1964) is a South African former first-class cricketer who is currently serving as an international cricket umpire. He is a member of the Elite Panel of ICC Umpires and stands in matches of all three formats of ...

* Shaun George * Gregory Brathwaite

Venues

Group stage

faced

in the opening game of the tournament at the

Dubai International Cricket Stadium The Dubai International Stadium, formerly known as the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium, is a multi-purpose stadium in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It is mainly used for cricket and is one of the three main cricket stadiums in the country, the ...

. It was Bangladesh's first match in the United Arab Emirates since April 1995, when they faced

in the

1995 Asia Cup The 1995 Asia Cup (also known as the Pepsi Asia Cup), was the fifth Asia Cup tournament, and the second to be held in Sharjah, UAE. The tournament took place between April 5–14, 1995. Four teams took part in the tournament: India, Pakistan, Sr ...

. In Group B, Sri Lanka were eliminated from the tournament, after losing both of their matches. Therefore

and Bangladesh progressed to the Super Four section of the competition. In Group A,

also lost both of their matches, meaning that

and Pakistan progressed to the Super Fours.

Group A

---- ----

Group B

---- ----

Super Four

In the penultimate round of Super Four matches, India beat Pakistan by nine wickets and Bangladesh beat Afghanistan by three runs. Therefore, India progressed to the final of the tournament and Afghanistan were eliminated. In the final Super Four match, Bangladesh beat Pakistan by 37 runs to advance to the final. In India's last Super Four match, against Afghanistan, captain

Rohit Sharma Rohit Gurunath Sharma (born 30 April 1987) is an Indian international cricketer and the current captain of the Indian cricket team. Widely considered as one of the best opening batter of all time, he plays as a right-handed batsman for Mumbai ...

and vice-captain

Shikhar Dhawan Shikhar Dhawan (born 5 December 1985) is an Indian cricketer. Being a left-handed opening batsman and occasional captain of the India national cricket team, he captains Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League and plays for Delhi in first-class ...

were both rested for the match.

MS Dhoni Mahendra Singh Dhoni (; born 7 July 1981) is an Indian former international cricketer who was captain of the Indian national cricket team in limited-overs formats from 2007 to 2017 and in Test cricket from 2008 to 2014. He is also the curren ...

was named captain of the side in their absence, and became the first cricketer to lead India 200 times in ODIs. Dhoni became the oldest player to lead India in an ODI. The match finished in a tie, the first time this had occurred in the Asia Cup. It was also the first time that Afghanistan were involved in a tied game in ODIs. ---- ---- ---- ---- ----

Final

Statistics

Most runs

Most wickets

References

External links

Series home at ESPN Cricinfo
{{2018–19 in Indian cricket Asia Cup International cricket competitions in the United Arab Emirates 2018 in Emirati cricket International cricket competitions in 2018–19 Asia Cup