Dubai, July 25: After an unimpressive start against minnows Hong Kong, defending champions India defeated arch-rivals Pakistan by 8 wickets in a one-sided match in the Asia Cup on September 19 in Dubai.
With their second win, India have topped the Group A and they will now face Bangladesh in the Super Four stage. India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Afghanistan have qualified for the Super Four stage. Hong Kong and Sri Lanka's campaign in the tournament came to an end as they lost both their games in the league stage.
Asia Cup 2018 Special Page | Asia Cup Stats
Group A consisted of India, Pakistan and Hong Kong while Group B comprised Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan.
The tournament-opener was played between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in Dubai on September 15. The title clash will be played on September 28.
With 258 days until the 2019 World Cup the Asia Cup represents an opportunity for five of the World Cup teams to test themselves in competition cricket. Since the last World Cup India have been most successful & Sri Lanka least successful with the others in between. #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/G8oUQH58Rz
— The Cricket Prof. (@CricProf) September 14, 2018
Bangladesh were the hosts and finalists of the previous tournament, which was held for the first time in T20I format. Men In Blue had defeated the Bangla Tigers convincingly back then in the biennial event.
However, it will be back to the previous 50-over format this year.
The top two teams from each group will qualify for the Super 4 (semi-finals) and two teams will then play the final on 28 September in Dubai.
Venue:
Dubai - Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
Abu Dhabi - Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Timings: 5:00 PM (IST)
Channel: Star Sports Network; India Matches on DD National
Live Streaming: HotStar.com
Here's the full schedule of Asia Cup 2018:
Group Stage:
15 September - Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 137 runs
16 September - Pakistan beat Hong Kong by 8 wickets
17 September - Afghanistan beat SL by 98 runs
18 September - India beat Hong Kong by 26 runs
19 September - India beat Pakistan by 8 wickets
20 September - Afghanistan beat Bangladesh by 136 runs
Super Four:
21 September - India beat Bangladesh by 7 wickets
21 September - Pakistan beat Afghanistan by 3 wickets
23 September - India beat Pakistan by 9 wickets
23 September - Afghanistan lose to Bangladesh by 3 runs
25 September - India Vs Afghanistan (Dubai) - 5:00 PM (IST)
26 September - Pakistan Vs Bangladesh (Abu Dhabi) - 5:00 PM (IST)
FINAL 28 September - INDA v TBC (Dubai)