India’s Virat Kohli may join the same team with Pakistan captain Babar Azam next year as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) plans to restart the Afro-Asia Cup. The 50-over series was first played in 2005 before being called off after its next edition in 2007 due to souring relations between India and Pakistan.
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene led an Asia XI that also included players from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh in the previous edition, beating the Africa side comprising cricketers from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya 3–0. India and Pakistan have suspended bilateral cricket and their players do not take part in the other country’s T20 league, but the arch-rivals draw huge crowds whenever they face each other in global tournaments .
ACC president Jay Shah, who is also the secretary of the influential Indian board, told Reuters news agency ACC meeting next month could seal the return of the Cup. “We have seen some proposals on the subject,” he said.
India coach Rahul Dravid is not worried about Virat Kohli’s century drought.
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“It is a premium tournament that will not only generate revenue but will also help develop cricket in Africa. We are currently working on the legal aspects.”
The ACC will identify a venue for the competition on the sidelines of the International Cricket Council’s Annual General Meeting in Birmingham, where it will also seek to confirm its development programs for junior and women’s cricket.
“These will be presented during our meeting where these measures will be confirmed and action will be taken,” Shah said.
During this, Pakistan captain Babar Azam He can claim to be the top-ranked T20I batsman in the world for the longest time after retaining his position at the top of the table in the latest ICC T20 batting rankings. Former India captain Virat Kohli was the No. 1 ranked T20I batsman for a total of 1,013 days during his reign over the past decade but Babar has now surpassed that number after a long stint at the top.
The Pakistan skipper is currently rated as the No. 1 batsman in T20Is and ODIs and recently suggested that he is keen to try and claim top billing in all three formats of the game.
(with Reuters inputs)