Asia Cup 2022: fixtures, squads and how to buy tickets for India v Pakistan in Dubai

Cricket fans in the UAE will get yet another opportunity to enjoy top-quality cricket when the Asia Cup T20 tournament begins in Dubai at the end of this month.

The tournament was supposed to be held in Sri Lanka but the political situation in the country and the logistical challenges of hosting many teams across venues posed an insurmountable challenge, forcing organisers to move the event at short-notice to the UAE.

Given that the Emirates has successfully held many editions of the Indian Premier League and also the T20 World Cup last year, it was the logical choice for a tournament of this scale.

The 2018 Asia Cup was also held in the UAE, where India beat Bangladesh off the last ball of the tournament to lift the 50-over title. However this year the Asia Cup will be a 20-over affair as teams prepare for the T20 World Cup in Australia later this year.

The Asia Cup will kick off with Sri Lanka taking on Afghanistan on August 27. The final will be held in Dubai on September 11.

Hosts UAE, Kuwait, Singapore and Hong Kong will play a qualifying round with the winners of that joining India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Bangladesh in the main draw.

As expected, the biggest match of the tournament will be the clash between India and Pakistan in Dubai on August 28. It is the first time the two teams will face each other since their unforgettable clash in Dubai at the T20 World Cup last year where the men in green tasted their first win over India in a World Cup.

Pakistan's Mohammad Rizwan scored an unbeaten fifty in a 10-wicket win over India at the T20 World Cup at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, October 24, 2021. Chris Whiteoak / The National

In the main tournament, six teams will be divided into two