The six best teams in Asia are set to tussle it out for the continent’s biggest prize when the 2018 Asia Cup gets underway in Dubai on Saturday.
Established in 1984, the biennial tournament has served up plenty of titanic clashes as well as some superb individual performances. This year, the tournament reverts to its original 50-over avatar after the 2016 edition was held in the Twenty20 format.
Here, we take a look at some of the interesting numbers and statistics from the tournament’s 24-year history.
183 – The highest individual score by any batsman in the Asia Cup. That innings was notched up by Virat Kohli at Dhaka in the 2012 edition against India’s arch-rivals Pakistan. It is also Kohli’s highest ODI total of his career.
1220 – The number of runs accumulated by the tournament’s all-rime leading run-scorer. That accolade belongs to Sri Lanka’s Sanath Jayasuriya who notched up the runs between 1990 and 2008 in 25 matches at an average of over 53.
No batsman has been as prolific as Jayasuriya in the Asia Cup.
30 – Is the number of wickets claimed by the tournament’s all-time leading wicket-taker. Here too, a Sri Lankan takes the honours with off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan being the holder of the record. The legendary spinner picked up the haul between 1995 and 2010.
95.16 – Is the batting average of India’s MS Dhoni in the tournament. The India wicket-keeper batsman’s average is the highest among any player who has played a minimum of 10 innings in the tournament’s history. In 12 ODI innings in the tournament, Dhoni has aggregated a total of 615 runs with the help of a ton and three half-centuries.
3 – Is the most number of ducks accumulated by any batsman in the tournament’s history. The infamous record belongs to three players – Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Bangladesh’s Aminul Islam and Sri Lanka’s Mahela Jayawardane.
6-13 – Best figures by any bowler in the tournament. These figures were achieved by Sri Lanka’s mystery spinner Ajantha Mendis against India at Karachi in the final of the 2008 edition. Remarkably, the Sri Lankan spinner conceded only 13 runs in his eight overs when he picked up that match-winning haul.
Mendis decimated India’s batting-order in an eight-over burst.
6 – Most number of titles won by any single team in the tournament. India are the most successful team in the tournament with six titles to their name. They are followed by Sri Lanka who has won it five times while Pakistan have laid their hands on the trophy on two occasions.
87 – The lowest ODI total by any team in the tournament. It was achieved by Bangladesh in the 2000 edition in their clash against Pakistan.
385 – The highest ODI total by any team in the tournament. This accolade belongs to Pakistan who racked up 385-7 in their clash against Bangladesh at Dambulla in the 2010 edition.
224 – The highest partnership for any wicket in the tournament’s history. It was notched by the Pakistan pair of Mohammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed against India in the 2012 edition at Dhaka. The two batsmen put on the partnership for the opening wicket.
Jamshed and Hafeez had India on their knees with their opening stand.
2000 – The year in which India failed to make the final of the tournament for the first time in its history. It was Sri Lanka and Pakistan who advanced to the final on that occasion.
2014 – The year in which Afghanistan entered the tournament for the first time.
