History of Asian Cricket Teams
The Asia Cup is around the corner. Asia, being the biggest continent, has 5 of the 12 full members of the International Cricket Council.
I think this would be a great time to take a look at the history of these nations.
(The slideshow chronicles the major Asian cricketing nations. As such, the UAE and Hong Kong miss out.)
#1 India
Cricket was introduced in India by European merchant sailors in the 18th century. However, it was only in 1926 that India was invited to the ICC, then called the Imperial Cricket Conference thus becoming and became the first Asian, and the sixth team (behind England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and West Indies) overall to be granted Test status in 1932.
India recorded their first Test victory in its 24th Test which came against England at Madras and won their first series against Pakistan (more on them later!) the same year. Since those humble beginnings, India has gone on to become a powerhouse and is currently ranked number one in the world.
India made its debut in limited overs cricket on their 1974 tour to England, playing their first 50 overs match against the hosts on 13th July. India was the first country besides the West Indies and the first Asian country to win the World Cup, doing so in 1983. India is also the only Asian country to win two 50 Over World Cups, winning the 2011 edition of the tournament, which they co-hosted with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
India was the last of the recognised teams to play the shortest version of the game, making their T20 debut on 1st December 2006 against South Africa. They won the inaugural version of the T20 World Cup in 2007, beating Pakistan in one of the most thrilling Final over finishes in world Cricket.
India is also the home for arguably the most exciting and certainly the most lucrative T20 tournament in the world - the Indian Premier League.
They are also the most successful team in the Asia Cup having won it 6 times (5 times in ODI format and once in the T20 format).
As on the date of writing, India is ranked numero uno in Tests, 2nd in ODIs and T20Is.