International Cricket in 2005 - Afro-Asian Cup

Afro-Asian Cup

The Afro-Asian Cup was a cricket competition played for the first time 2005. It was a three-ODI series between an Asian XI and an African XI. Controversially, the games were awarded One Day International status. The Cup will run for at least three years. The teams were selected by former Test match players rather than by national selectors, a move that has also given rise to controversy.

It was wrongly expected by the ICC that there would be a strong competitive tender for television rights. However, the main TV players, such as ESPN, declined to bid. Pakistan made it clear that its players did not have to play if they did not want to, and leading South African bowler Makhaya Ntini announced that he would be playing for English county side Warwickshire and so was not available for selection for the African side. Injuries also rampaged the tournament, as four players pulled out a week before the matches were due to start.

As for the tournament itself, it was closely fought. Africa won the first match by just two runs, while Asia won the second by 18 runs to set up a series decider. However, after Africa had been bowled out for 106, the Asian innings was curtailed by rain, and the match eventually declared a no result. Thus, the series was tied 1–1.

Afro-Asian Cup 2005. Match length: 50 overs per side. Series result: Drawn 1–1.