The Asia Cup will see an India vs Pakistan final for the first time in the tournament's 41-year history when the two teams clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The Asia Cup has a rich history. What started as a three-team tournament in 1984, expanded into a multi-national affair with Asia's top teams contending.
The format has also switched between One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), showing the evolution of one of the oldest multi-national cricket tournaments.
India has won the most number titles with eight triumphs. Sri Lanka follow with six, and Pakistan have two. Meanwhile, Bangladesh have reached the final three times but have stumbled at the last hurdle.
Asia Cup Finals Complete Winners List
Records in Asia Cup Finals History
Most titles: India in 1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2023
Second most titles: Sri Lanka in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022
Other Winners:Pakistan in 2000 and 2012
Most Successful Captains:
Biggest Wins:
2012: This final was played between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the latter marking its first appearance on the grand stage. Batting first, Pakistan got off to a slow start and lost two early wickets. However, contributions from the lower middle order propelled the team to 236/9 in 20 overs. This was enabled by Shahid Afridi's cameo of 32 runs off 22 balls and Sarfaraz Ahmed's 46 not out. For Bangladesh pacer Mashrafe Mortaza got two wickets, while spinners Shakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak picked a couple of wickets each.
In the chase, Bangladesh were given a good start from Tamim Iqbal, who scored 60 runs. Meanwhile, Shakib al Hasan scored 68 runs, but the rest of the middle order failed to make an impact as Aizaz Cheema grabbed three wickets, while Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul got two wickets each. Bangladesh fell short by just two runs and failed to seal a historic first Asia Cup title. This is also the narrowest win in an Asia Cup final.
2008: Played between India and Sri Lanka, the 2008 final is remembered for the biggest victory in terms of runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka were led by Sanath Jayasuriya's stunning century, while Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a fifty as the team go to 273 runs in 50 overs. RP Singh and Ishant Sharma grabbed two wickets each.
Virendra Sehwag started with his typical style, smashing boundaries at will, before being dismissed for 60 runs off just 36 balls. This was when India ran into a a rampaging Ajantha Mendis, who dismantled the middle order with figures of 6/13 in eight overs. Captain MS Dhoni got 49 runs, but it was not enough as India fell short by a massive margin of 100 runs.
2023: It was India vs Sri Lanka yet again in an Asia Cup final. This is remembered as the shortest final as well as the biggest win in terms of wickets remaining. Mohammed Siraj ran through Sri Lanka's top order with outstanding figures of 6/21, while Hardik Pandya got 3/3. Sri Lanka were reduced to 12/6 at one stage and were eventually bowled out for just 50 runs.
The Indian openers, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill knocked off the target in little over six overs, giving India a 10-wicket win with more than 43 overs to spare.
2018: a nail-biting last ball finish. In the low scoring thriller, Bangladesh batted first and were led by a magnificent century by Litton Das. However, only two other batters managed to reach the double figures as Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets and Kedar Jadhav chipped in with two. Bangladesh could manage only 222 runs before being bowled out.
Rohit Sharma led India's charge with 48 runs, while Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni made useful contributions. However, disciplined bowling from Bangladesh meant India found scoring difficult. With six runs needed in the last over with three wickets in hand, Kedar Jadhav held his nerve to give India one of the closest wins in an Asia Cup final.
The Asia Cup has a rich history. What started as a three-team tournament in 1984, expanded into a multi-national affair with Asia's top teams contending.
The format has also switched between One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), showing the evolution of one of the oldest multi-national cricket tournaments.
India has won the most number titles with eight triumphs. Sri Lanka follow with six, and Pakistan have two. Meanwhile, Bangladesh have reached the final three times but have stumbled at the last hurdle.
Asia Cup Finals Complete Winners List
Records in Asia Cup Finals History
Most titles: India in 1984, 1988, 1990–91, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018, 2023
Second most titles: Sri Lanka in 1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022
Other Winners:Pakistan in 2000 and 2012
Most Successful Captains:
- Mohammad Azharuddin (India) – 2 titles
- MS Dhoni (India) – 2 titles
- Rohit Sharma (India) – 2 titles
- Arjuna Ranatunga (Sri Lanka) – 1 title
Biggest Wins:
- Sri Lanka by 100 runs vs India (2008 Final).
- India by 10 wickets vs Sri Lanka (2023 Final).
- Sri Lanka (13 finals)
- India (11 finals).
2012: This final was played between Pakistan and Bangladesh, with the latter marking its first appearance on the grand stage. Batting first, Pakistan got off to a slow start and lost two early wickets. However, contributions from the lower middle order propelled the team to 236/9 in 20 overs. This was enabled by Shahid Afridi's cameo of 32 runs off 22 balls and Sarfaraz Ahmed's 46 not out. For Bangladesh pacer Mashrafe Mortaza got two wickets, while spinners Shakib al Hasan and Abdur Razzak picked a couple of wickets each.
In the chase, Bangladesh were given a good start from Tamim Iqbal, who scored 60 runs. Meanwhile, Shakib al Hasan scored 68 runs, but the rest of the middle order failed to make an impact as Aizaz Cheema grabbed three wickets, while Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul got two wickets each. Bangladesh fell short by just two runs and failed to seal a historic first Asia Cup title. This is also the narrowest win in an Asia Cup final.
2008: Played between India and Sri Lanka, the 2008 final is remembered for the biggest victory in terms of runs. Batting first, Sri Lanka were led by Sanath Jayasuriya's stunning century, while Tillakaratne Dilshan scored a fifty as the team go to 273 runs in 50 overs. RP Singh and Ishant Sharma grabbed two wickets each.
Virendra Sehwag started with his typical style, smashing boundaries at will, before being dismissed for 60 runs off just 36 balls. This was when India ran into a a rampaging Ajantha Mendis, who dismantled the middle order with figures of 6/13 in eight overs. Captain MS Dhoni got 49 runs, but it was not enough as India fell short by a massive margin of 100 runs.
2023: It was India vs Sri Lanka yet again in an Asia Cup final. This is remembered as the shortest final as well as the biggest win in terms of wickets remaining. Mohammed Siraj ran through Sri Lanka's top order with outstanding figures of 6/21, while Hardik Pandya got 3/3. Sri Lanka were reduced to 12/6 at one stage and were eventually bowled out for just 50 runs.
The Indian openers, Ishan Kishan and Shubman Gill knocked off the target in little over six overs, giving India a 10-wicket win with more than 43 overs to spare.
2018: a nail-biting last ball finish. In the low scoring thriller, Bangladesh batted first and were led by a magnificent century by Litton Das. However, only two other batters managed to reach the double figures as Kuldeep Yadav picked up three wickets and Kedar Jadhav chipped in with two. Bangladesh could manage only 222 runs before being bowled out.
Rohit Sharma led India's charge with 48 runs, while Dinesh Karthik and MS Dhoni made useful contributions. However, disciplined bowling from Bangladesh meant India found scoring difficult. With six runs needed in the last over with three wickets in hand, Kedar Jadhav held his nerve to give India one of the closest wins in an Asia Cup final.
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