Virat Kohli and Babar Azam In the Same Team? Possible Revival of Afro-Asia Cup Throws Up Exciting Possibilities

By Mohd Faisal Hakak On Sep 12, 2024

Cricketing fans around the world could witness the likes of Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Virat Kohli, and others playing for the same team as the efforts are underway to revive the Afro-Asia Cup.

Afro-Asia Cup is an intercontinental competition between the cricketing nations of Africa and Asia. Likes of South Africa, Kenya, and Zimbabwe represent the African continent while India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka represent Asia.

With Jay Shah expected to take up the role of ICC president in December, discussions are planned regarding a proposed overhaul of the tournament, to facilitate its full-scale return shortly.

“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,” Former Africa Cricket Association (ACA) chairman Sumod Damodar said in a statement.

Damodar remains optimistic that incoming ICC chairman Jay Shah and ACC head of development Mahinda Vallipuram could play a pivotal role in reintroducing the Afro-Asian Cup.

History of the Afro-Asia Cup and Participating Players

The Afro-Asia Cup was first played in 2005 in the ODI format. The tournament saw high-profile names represent both continents with the likes of Virender Sehwag, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Anil Kumble, Shahid Afridi, Rahul Dravid, and Muttiah Muralitharan representing Asia and Shaun Pollock, AB de Villiers, and Jacques Kallis representing Africa. The three-match series ended 1-1 with 3rd ODI getting washed out due to bad weather.

The next edition of the tournament took place in 2007 where Asia did a 3-0 sweep over their opponents in ODI’s and also won the only T20 match. Asia had a star-studded lineup with players like Sourav Ganguly, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Shoaib Malik, Sachin Tendulkar, and Shoaib Akhtar at their disposal. African team consisted of Justin Kemp, Mark Boucher, Shaun Pollock, Herschelle Gibbs, and many more.

After the 2007 event, the competition was abandoned due to geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan and the tournament also struggled to secure broadcast rights and sponsorships, which were essential for its funding and visibility, particularly due to its charitable goals.

If the revival efforts succeed, an Asian XI could include stars like Virat Kohli, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, and Jasprit Bumrah playing alongside Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Shaheen Afridi. Given the already hectic schedule for the players, rumors suggest that the tournament will be held in a T20 format.

Mohd Faisal Hakak

Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.