2008 Asia Cup
The 2008 Asia Cup (also called STAR Cricket Asia Cup) was a One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament, held in Pakistan from 24 June to 6 July 2008, at two venues. [1] The six teams which took part in the tournament were India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Asian associate nations UAE and Hong Kong. This was the first Asia Cup hosted by Pakistan; previously political tensions between India and Pakistan did not permit Pakistan to host the event in 1993. It was broadcast in India by Star Cricket and ESPN[2] and in Pakistan by Geo Super.[3] Sri Lanka won the tournament after beating India by 100 runs in the final.[4]
| Dates | 24 June – 6 July 2008 |
|---|---|
| Administrator(s) | Asian Cricket Council |
| Cricket format | One Day International |
| Tournament format(s) | Round-robin and Knockout |
| Host(s) |  Pakistan |
| Champions |  Sri Lanka (4th title) |
| Runners-up |  India |
| Participants | 6 |
| Matches played | 13 |
| Player of the series | Ajantha Mendis |
| Most runs | Sanath Jayasuriya (378) |
| Most wickets | Ajantha Mendis (17) |
Format
Originally, the ninth version of the Cup was supposed to take place in 2006, however packed international cricket schedules did not allow for the tournament to be held.[5]
Group A consisted of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates.
Group B consisted of India, Pakistan and Hong Kong.
The two groups first had a separate round-robin competition. The top two teams from each group advanced to the Super Fours. There was again a round-robin competition between the teams in the Super Four, the first two from which advanced to the final.
Venues
13 matches were played in 2008 Asia Cup at National Stadium, Karachi and Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
| Pakistan | |
|---|---|
| Karachi | Lahore |
| National Stadium | Gaddafi Stadium |
| Capacity: 45,000 | Capacity: 60,000 |
| Matches: 10 | Matches: 3 |
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| Karachi | Lahore |
  National Stadium, Karachi Gaddafi Stadium Venues in Pakistan |
Squads
Group stage
Group A
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2.730 |
| 2 |  Bangladesh |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | −0.350 |
| 3 |  United Arab Emirates |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2.380 |
All times are in UTC+5 (PST)
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Group B
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | India |
2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3.154 |
| 2 | Pakistan |
2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1.161 |
| 3 |  Hong Kong |
2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −4.110 |
All times are in UTC+5 (PST)
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- India won the toss and elected to bat.
- This was India's first cricket match to be played against Hong Kong.
- Suresh Raina (Ind) scored his first century in ODIs.[6]
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Super Fours
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | L | T | NR | PCO | Pts | NRR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sri Lanka |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 1.363 |
| 2 | India |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 0.250 |
| 3 | Pakistan |
3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0.924 |
| 4 | Bangladesh |
3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −2.665 |
All times are in UTC+5 (PST)
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- Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) made his ODI debut.
- Misbah-ul-Haq (Pak) stood as captain for the first time in ODIs.
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Final
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References
- "Asia Cup 2008". cricketwa. Retrieved 2015-12-22.
- "Pakistan to host Asia Cup in 2008". Daily Times. 22 May 2006. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- "Asia Cup super four leg from tomorrow". Geo TV. 27 May 2006. Archived from the original on 8 February 2015. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- Premachandran, Dileep (6 July 2008). "Mendis spins Sri Lanka to title triumph". ESPNcricinfo. Retrieved 31 December 2012.
- Pakistan to host 2006 Asia Cup
- "India thrash sorry Hong Kong". ESPN Cricinfo. Retrieved 18 May 2019.
External links
- "Asia Cup tournament review". ESPNcricinfo.
- "Asia Cup 2008". ESPNcricinfo.