Top 7 controversial Asia Cup moments
The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is authorized to organize the Asia Cup. ACC is in charge of overseeing the supervision and orderly execution of competitions that fall within their purview. The Asia Cup is held every two years in either a one-day or T-20 format.
In 1984, the UAE hosted the first tournament. The most recent event was played in 2018, and the upcoming edition will be staged in UAE later this month. All the matches will be contested in the T-20 format.
The Asian Cricket Council includes nations like India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. To secure the last available spot in the tournament, teams like UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, and Hong Kong will compete in the Qualifiers.
With the event just quickly approaching, here are the top 7 controversial Asia Cup moments,
2010 ASIA CUP
1). In the fourth match of the 2010 Asia Cup in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal snaffled the ball after Indian left-handed batsman Gautam Gambhir misjudged a nudge around the corner off Saeed Ajmal and believed he had his man. He overreached in his desire for a catch-out, but the umpire ultimately dismissed it.
When the refreshments were being served, Gambhir and Kamran moved closer and almost clashed, trading death stares and profanities. To defuse the situation, umpire Billy Bowden had to step in to distance them. Gambhir’s batting partner, Mahendra Singh Dhoni, immediately pulled him away to calm things down.
2). In the same game that Gambhir and Kamran Akmal got into a verbal altercation, Shoaib Akhtar and Harbhajan Singh squared off in the closing moments.
India required seven runs from the last over to reach their target of 267. There was tension since India lacked a qualified batter at the crease. In his penultimate over, Akhtar attempted to prevent Harbhajan from guiding India home.
The off-spinner misread one of the deliveries during the over, and Akhtar began yelling cuss words in Punjabi. The umpires were forced to step in when they noticed both players were behaving extremely out of order.
However, Harbhajan ended up having the last smile as he hit Mohammad Amir for a boundary in the following over. He was spotted screaming like a tiger, but Akhtar, who was patrolling the fine-leg area, wasn’t impressed.
2016 ASIA CUP
3). Shakib Al Hasan got himself into controversy during Pakistan’s 2016 Asia Cup match against Bangladesh when, out of pure exasperation, he whacked the wickets with his bat. The ICC issued him an official reprimand for violating Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct.
When Pakistan’s Mohammad Amir toppled Shakib’s stumps in the 18thover, the incident occurred, triggering the Bangladeshi to respond aggressively.
4). Everyone was perplexed by the umpire’s verdict during India vs Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup 2016 match as Sri Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perera was given out of a Dhoni stumping, despite making his ground.
When Thisara Perera walked down the track in the 19th over, Ravichandran Ashwin bowled a wide delivery to deceive Perera into playing the stroke. Although the replays indicated that he was easily in, the on-field umpires chose not to review the ruling and promptly declared him out.
5). The 2016 Asia Cup was a catastrophe for Pakistani fast bowler Mohammad Sami after he delivered two no-balls in the 19th over when Bangladesh needed 18 runs off two overs.
Sami’s first no-ball of the over occurred when Mashrafe Mortaza was caught at long off. Mahmuddullah blasted a boundary on Sami’s second no-ball to sink Pakistan and Sami. In that over, they lost the game, and the Tigers went on to win the match.
6). The umpire calls during the Asia Cup 2016 were one to forget.
When Pakistan’s Khurram Manzoor was given not-out despite edging the ball during an Ashish Nehra over in a high-stakes India vs Pakistan match, even “captain cool” MS Dhoni lost his cool.
Dhoni approached the on-field umpire to speak with him, but neither the verdict was changed nor was a referral made.
7). An enormous social media breakdown ensued from the photoshopped image of Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed seizing MS Dhoni’s head as outraged Indian fans started anti-Bangladesh movements.
Controversies like this have no place in cricket, which is regarded as the “Gentlemen’s Game” Then-team coach Ravi Shastri responded to questions about the episode by stating that the players didn’t read newspapers and that their primary duty was to play cricket.
The fact that the event occurred shortly before the decisive 2016 Asia Cup final is what caused it to become so significant.
