Since 2016, there has been a welcome change in tack so far as the Asian Cricket Council is concerned. Seeking to lend greater context to the Asia Cup, the symbol of continental supremacy, the governing body decided that the tournament would be staged in the format that the next World Cup was to be played in. It was a refreshing development, given that it would help the Asian giants ease into the global event, in a manner of speaking. That’s how the inaugural T20 Asia Cup was staged in Bangladesh ahead of the 2016 World Cup, and why the 2022 edition in the UAE was a 20-over faceoff ahead of the larger canvas that was the World Cup in Australia.

Everything to play for

The next T20 World Cup is more than five months away; the current edition of the Asia Cup, which begins on Tuesday, will therefore be a 20-over affair as the continental powerhouses take their first baby steps towards firming up plans and personnel. There is everything to play for the eight teams in the fray — while the established big boys will eye ultimate glory, the UAE, Hong Kong and Oman will entertain ambitions a little more modest and realistic.