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India
and Pakistan get a rare chance to lock horns in battle when they renew
their intense, but intermittent, cricket rivalry in the Asia Cup one-day
tournament which starts from February 25.
As well as two of the more traditional rivals, Sri Lanka,
Bangladesh and Afghanistan will also be battling it out for the right to
be crowned
On-field contests featuring the traditional foes of
India and Pakistan, which attract millions of viewers around the cricket
world, have fallen victim to political stand-offs between the two
warring neighbours.
Since the World Cup semi-final in 2011, India
and Pakistan have played just five one-day internationals and three
Twenty20 matches against each other, mostly in multi-nation events.
Their
most recent meeting was in the Champions Trophy last June when India
won a rain-affected match in Birmingham by eight wickets and went on to
win the tournament.
“Its always a big challenge playing against
India because there is so much interest in the game,” said Pakistan
captain Misbah-ul Haq. “India are a formidable side and we have to be at
our best to win.
“We may not have played each other much recently, but I know it will be an exciting match.”
Pakistan
begin the five-nation Asia Cup, the symbol of regional supremacy in the
one-day game, as the defending champions, having won the 2012 edition
in Dhaka.
World Cup holders India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, hosts
Bangladesh and new entrants Afghanistan will play each other once in the
league with the top two qualifying for the final in Dhaka on March 8.
Pakistan
take on Sri Lanka in the tournament opener in Fatullah, a suburban town
south of Dhaka which will host the first five league matches before the
action shifts to the Bangladeshi capital.
The high-profile India-Pakistan game has been scheduled for Sunday, March 2 at the Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka.
India,
the most successful team in the Asia Cup with five titles in 11
editions so far, will be without inspirational captain Mahendra Singh
Dhoni who was ruled out with a side strain.
Top-order batsman Virat Kohli will lead India, while Dinesh Karthik will replace Dhoni as wicket-keeper.
Sri
Lanka begin the tournament with the advantage of having been in
Bangladesh for the past month, winning the Test, Twenty20 and one-day
series against the hosts.
India start their campaign against hosts
Bangladesh on Wednesday, eight days after ending a dismal tour of New
Zealand where they lost both the Test and one-day series.
The
focus will be on the fast-improving Afghans, who were added as the fifth
team by the Asian Cricket Council after they qualified for their maiden
World Cup next year.
The minnows have played just two one-dayers against Test nations, losing both matches to Pakistan and Australia.
Asia Cup schedule:
Feb 25 : Pakistan v Sri Lanka, Fatullah
Feb 26 : Bangladesh v India, Fatullah
Feb 27 : Afghanistan v Pakistan, Fatullah
Feb 28 : India v Sri Lanka, Fatullah
March 1: Bangladesh v Afghanistan, Fatullah
March 2: India v Pakistan, Dhaka
March 3: Afghanistan v Sri Lanka, Dhaka
March 4: Bangladesh v Pakistan, Dhaka
March 5: Afghanistan v India, Dhaka
March 6: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka, Dhaka
March 8: Final, Dhaka