Babar Azam, Virat Kohli In Same Team; Jay Shah 'On Board' For Afro-Asia Cup Revival: Report
Babar Azam and Virat Kohli likely to feature in same team (x.com)
The revival of Afro-Asia Cup is very much on the cards after the tournament was discontinued back in 2007. According to recent reports, even cricket administrator and soon-to-be ICC Chairman Jay Shah is on board with the idea of the resumption of the biennial competition.
The Afro-Asia Cup was launched back in 2005 in a bid to raise money for the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the African Cricket Association. The International Cricket Council (ICC) even granted an ODI status to Afro-Asia fixtures. However, the limited-overs competition was discontinued after the 2007 edition.
Afro-Asia Cup revival on the cards as per former chair
Former Africa Cricket Association (ACA) chair Sumod Damodar recently confirmed that the possibility of resuming Afro-Asia Cup matches has been discussed by several top cricketing officials.
While speaking with Cricbuzz, Damodar even claimed that former BCCI secretary and soon-to-be ICC Chairman Jay Shah is on board for a possible resumption for the same alongside ICC director Mahinda Vallipuram.
Damodar, the head of Botswana Cricket, said:
“We have tried to revive the Afro-Asia Cup. Jay was on board and Mahinda Vallipuram actively participated in the discussions.”
Earlier this week, several emerging reports first indicated a possible resumption of Afro-Asia Cup competition after a gap of 17 years. Sumod Damodar said that the discussions are gaining “adequate momentum” through the ACA, and urged Africa’s cricketing members to “push” for the revival of the tournament.
If the Afro-Asia Cup ends up taking place in the current calendar, the likes of Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, Shaheen Afridi and Jasprit Bumrah among several other Indian and Pakistani superstars might well feature in the same team.
The Afro-Asia Cup was discontinued back in 2007 owing to the prevailing geo-political tensions between India and Pakistan.