In a rare moment in recent cricket history, a tournament is reportedly set to take place for the first time since 2007, which will see top players from the Indian and Pakistan cricket teams playing on the same side. Fans might see the likes of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma sharing the dressing room with Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan as the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) begin their work towards the revival of the Afro-Asian Cup for the 2023 calendar.
Until 2012, India and Pakistan played in bilateral tournaments, with the former hosting the last bilateral tournament. But the rise in political tensions between the two countries led to the teams having stopped playing against each other in bilateral series, although they have faced off in multiple international ICC tournaments — ODI World Cup, Champions Trophy, and T20 World Cup — and the Asia Cup.
The last time the two took on each other was in the group stage of the 2021 T20 World Cup on October 24 in Dubai where Pakistan defeated India by a historic margin of 10 wickets.
The Afro-Asia Cup has taken place only twice in its history — in 2005 and in 2007. The first was a three-match ODI series while the second included a one-off T20 as well. ACC is now working towards the revival of the tournament which, if confirmed, will be played in 2023 and will have players from India and Pakistan playing for the Asian XI, along with those from Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
"We haven't got confirmation from the boards yet. We are still working on the white paper and it will be submitted to both boards," ACC head of commercial and events Prabhakaran Thanraj told Forbes. "But our plan is for the best players from India and Pakistan to be playing in the Asian XI. Once plans are finalized we will go into the market for sponsorship and a broadcaster."
