Another thrilling season is expected to be played out in one of Asia’s oldest cricket rivalries. From August 27 to September 11, 2022, the 15th Asia Cup will be held. The arrival of COVID derailed plans for this season, which was initially expected to happen in 2020. The Asia Cup was originally scheduled to be held in Pakistan, but because of the political unrest between India and Pakistan, the ACC decided to move it to Sri Lanka.
India won the Asia Cup’s most recent competition, which was held in the United Arab Emirates in 2018. This year, the format was switched from ODI to T20, serving as a practice match for the impending ICC T20 World Cup 2022 later this year.
India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan are the 5 teams that have already confirmed their attendance at the competition. The qualification round, which will take place in August, will decide the sixth team. The four teams competing for the final roster position for the 2022 Asia Cup are Kuwait, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, and Hong Kong. Here, the key question is: Who will win the Asia Cup in 2022? Let’s investigate the response to this.
The Favorites for the 2022 Asia Cup
The odds-on favorites to win the Asia Cup 2022 are going to be India and Pakistan. The men in blue have been playing quality cricket for the past 12 months, and they are presently positioned as the top side in the ICC T20 team rankings. They have a well-oiled crew that can always outwit the enemy.
The biggest worry for team India is the performance of their star batsman Virat Kohli, who has gone 80 matches without scoring a century for his country. Even his spot in the team for the T20 World Cup appears to be in doubt. We anticipate Kohli to regain his form and contribute to the squad, though, given the trust displayed by Rohit Sharma and the team management.
Pakistan appears to be a formidable team, on the other hand. Ever since the Men in Green made it to the finals of the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021, they have fared admirably in the t20 format. They have a select group of elite players, including Md. Rizwan, Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, etc., who are capable of being very dangerous at any time. Pakistan will be unbeatable if it is able to repeat its success at the ICC T20 World Cup in 2021.
Other highly anticipated team for Asia Cup 2022:
The team to watch in the 2022 Asia Cup will be Bangladesh, who will be the underdog. We shouldn’t be shocked if they pull off an upset once more because they have historically caused problems for dominant teams. The recent ODI series victory over the West Indies on home soil would boost the morale of the Bangladesh cricket team.
They constantly provide a threat to the opposition, especially given the climate in the Indian subcontinent, which is ideal for their spinners. Additionally, Afghanistan shouldn’t be taken lightly because even a single upset might be disastrous for powerful teams.
The Final Verdict:
By examining the teams’ strengths and limitations, we can predict that India and Pakistan, longtime rivals, will advance to the Asia Cup 2022 finals. Pakistan will maintain the advantage throughout the series thanks to their recent strong performances.
According to our forecast, Pakistan can take home the Asia Cup in 2022. However, as we have frequently stated, cricket, particularly T20, is a very unpredictable game, therefore the prediction’s final outcome is always subject to change.
