By Shanuka Aravinda

The Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament is set to kick-off today in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), with hosts Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan in their Group ‘B’ fixture at the Dubai International Stadium.

The match will begin at 7.30 pm in Sri Lankan time.

In addition to Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, Bangladesh is also in Group ‘B’, and the match between Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will be on September 1.

It is important for Sri Lanka to win both of their first-round matches to qualify for the Super 4 round, because if each of the three teams registers a win, only the two teams with the highest net run rate will progress to the next stage.

At the 2018 edition, Sri Lanka lost two matches, against Afghanistan and Bangladesh, and was humiliatingly knocked out in the first round.

Hong Kong secured its spot in the Asia Cup 2022 after winning the qualifiers held in Oman and are potted in Group ‘A’ alongside India and Pakistan, who are most likely to progress to the next round unless Hong Kong manages to pull-off a surprise. 

The Super 4 stage will be played in a league format, with each team playing three games, and the top two teams will enter the final, which is set to be played on September 11 at the Dubai International Stadium.

The tournament was planned to be held in Sri Lanka, but due to the prevailing crisis in the country, the Asian Cricket Council decided to relocate the tournament to the UAE. However, Sri Lanka will remain the host country and will organise the tournament together with the UAE Cricket Board.

The tournament consists of 13 matches, out of which 10 will be held at the Dubai International Stadium and the remaining three at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium.

All the matches will be held at night under floodlights, and the matches will begin at 7.30 pm in Sri Lankan time.

The history of the Asia Cup traces back to 1984, with 14 editions having been held so far. India has won the championship in seven tournaments (1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2010, 2016 and 2018), while Sri Lanka has claimed it five times (1986, 1997, 2004, 2008 and 2014) and Pakistan twice (2000 and 2012).