Revisiting the Afro-Asia Cup amid talks of the tournament's revival
As per some media reports, there are talks to revive the Afro-Asia Cup, which was last played in 2007. The tournament featured a series of charity matches played between an Asian XI and an African XI. The proceeds from the games were intended to boost development in Asia and Africa.
As per a report in Cricbuzz, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Jay Shah, who will take over as the next ICC chairman, is open to reviving the Afro-Asia Cup. Shah is also the head of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and is likely to be replaced by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi. The report, however, added that a lot of work still needs to be done for the Afro-Asia Cup to restart.
"We have tried to revive the Afro-Asia Cup. Jay was on board and Mahinda Vallipuram (head of Malaysia Cricket and current ICC director) actively participated in the discussions," an ICC veteran Sumod Damodar was quoted as telling Cricbuzz.
Two editions of the Afro-Asia Cup have been played so far - in 2005 and 2007. The third edition could not be held reportedly due to issues with the broadcaster.
What happened in the 2005 and 2007 Afro-Asia Cup?
The 2005 Afro-Asia Cup played in South Africa featured a plethora of cricket superstars like Virender Sehwag, Rahul Dravid, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Kumar Sangakkara, Shaun Pollock, Graeme Smith, AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis among others. The hard-fought series was tied 1-1.
Africa XI won the first match in Centurion by two runs, while Asia XI hit back with a 17-run win in the second ODI in Durban. The third match also played in Durban produced no result due to rain.
Sangakkara was the leading run-getter in the series, with 97 runs from three innings, including a best of 61 in the second ODI. Zaheer Khan was the leading wicket-taker, with nine scalps at an average of 11.22. He claimed 3-37 in the first ODI, 3-43 in the second, and 3-21 in the weather-hit third game.
The 2007 edition of the Afro-Asia Cup was played in India. The series featured three ODI and one T20 (which did not have T20 international or T20 status). Asia XI thumped Africa XI 3-0 in the one-dayers and also won the one-off T20.
Despite Pollock's 130 off 110 balls in the first one-dayer at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, Asia XI won the contest by 34 runs on the back of a good all-round effort. Dilhara Fernando starred with 4-36, while Sourav Ganguly scored 8 as Asia XI won the second game at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai by 31 runs.
Asia XI completed a clean sweep with a 13-run win in the third ODI played in Chennai. MS Dhoni clobbered a brilliant 139* off 97 balls, while Mahela Jayawardene contributed 107 off 106. In the unofficial T20, Asia XI chased down a target of 110 in Bengaluru with six wickets in hand.