Asia Cup, beginning Saturday, the most closely fought edition ever. Pakistan legend Wasim Akram has already predicted the six-team tournament as having the potential to showcase quality that has never been seen before.
Leaving aside the lone qualifier Hong Kong, the five other teams including record seven-time champions India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh can beat each other on their day.
The tournament, which is being staged in the T20 format after six years, had to be moved to the UAE after hosts Sri Lanka expressed their inability to organise it back home amid the economic crisis faced by the island nation.
Though the conditions in the UAE will be different from what teams will be experiencing in the World Cup in Australia in October-November, all the competing sides will be looking to identify their final squad for the ICC event over the course of the next two weeks.