The Afro-Asia Cup, a white-ball cricket series between an Asian XI and an African XI, is set to make a return, the Africa Cricket Association (ACA) confirmed through ESPNcricinfo. During its Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Saturday, the ACA appointed a six-member interim committee to guide the organization’s restructuring and expand competitive opportunities for players across Africa.
The Afro-Asia Cup has only been played twice, in South Africa in 2005 and in India in 2007. A third edition was scheduled for 2009 in Kenya but was ultimately canceled. If the tournament goes ahead, it could see Indian and Pakistani players, who currently do not participate in bilateral series against each other, playing together in the same Asia XI team.
“The Afro-Asia Cup, aside from the cricket, brings much-needed financial input to the organization, and there is substantial interest from both regions. We’ve been in talks with the Asia Cricket Council and our African representatives, all of whom are eager for the Afro-Asia Cup to return,” ACA interim chair Tavengwa Mukuhlani, who is also the Zimbabwe Cricket Chair, said in a press conference as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.
In the 2005 series, the three-match ODI ended 1-1 after the final game was interrupted by rain. In 2007, the Asia XI triumphed, winning all three matches. The 2005 Asia XI squad was led by Inzamam-ul-Haq and included players such as Rahul Dravid, Ashish Nehra, and Anil Kumble. The 2007 squad featured stars like MS Dhoni, Sourav Ganguly, Harbhajan Singh, Zaheer Khan, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Sachin Tendulkar, alongside Pakistani players Mohammed Asif, Mohammed Yousuf, and Shoaib Akhtar.
According to ACA CEO Cassim Suliman, the ACA is also planning to launch a “mini version” of the IPL, dubbed the Africa Premier League. He commented, “Once approved by the board, we will move forward with sponsorships and logistics. Our goal is to adopt the IPL concept to ensure wide-ranging benefits, though initially on a smaller scale. The board will select the hosting venue, focusing on facilities that can support strong spectator viewership. We want to ensure we start off right to build momentum for future growth.”
