The Asia Cup – a tournament that began in 1984 with just three teams playing – has evolved and expanded to include six teams over the years.

With the Champions Trophy scrapped after the 2017 edition, the Asia Cup now stands as the most robust ODI and T20I tournament only after the world events in both formats respectively.

The tournament’s growing stature has even been acknowledged by the International Cricket Council – who have made a provision for all games in the tournament to be considered full ODIs regardless of the status of the teams participating. Hong Kong, who lost ODI status after the 2018 World Cup qualifier tournament – will be the first beneficiary of this privilege.

The Asia Cup has predominantly been an ODI tournament but starting from the 2016 edition, the biennial event will switch between the T20I and ODI formats as a means to help the participating teams prepare for the format in which the next world event will be played in – the 2018 Asia Cup will thus serve as a dress rehearsal for the 2019 ODI World Cup.

The significance of the Asia Cup can’t be undermined. “Half the teams who will feature in the World Cup are participating in the Asia Cup so it is a great chance for us to see where we stand,” Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed told the ICC.

And there’s perhaps no better gauge of a player’s ability for the World Cup than a tournament in which “every team is a threat”, as Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza put it. “If you look at the bowling strength of Afghanistan and all-round potency of the Sri Lankans, anything can happen,” he said of Bangladesh’s opponents at the group stage.

For players like Liton Das, a tournament of such high stakes provides an opportunity to solidify their position in the side. “This is actually a good opportunity. I have been out of the ODI team for a long time and If I get a chance then I will try to do well,” the Bangladesh wicket-keeper-batsman said recently.

For the teams the tournament is the best chance to start perfecting team combinations and for individuals it’s an important opportunity to develop skills or to announce themselves ahead of the marquee event. In itself, the Asia Cup is great entertainment as a battle for Asian cricketing supremacy, but the tournament serves a greater purpose for the participating teams too.

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AfghanistanIndiaPakistanSri LankaBangladesh Asia CupInternational Cricket