Imagine Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and Jasprit Bumrah partnering up with the likes of Babar Azam, and Shaheen Afridi to take on an African ‘all-star’ side. While scenes like these may have been witnessed by the fans in the 2000s, they can be a reality once more! After all, the next International Cricket Council (ICC) Chairman Jay Shah is all in for the Afro-Asia Cup revival and is ‘on board’ with the plan. The tournament was first mooted in 2005 by the late Jagmohan Dalmiya but ended prematurely in 2009.
Jay Shah & Mohsin Naqvi to revive Afro-Asia Cup?
While we had a similar update a couple of days ago, it is now confirmed that Jay Shah has an eye for the multi-continental tournament. One of the key figures behind this potential revival is Jay Shah, the current BCCI Secretary and the incoming ICC Chairman. Shah has shown keen interest in bringing back the Afro-Asia Cup, a tournament that was initially conceived to bridge the gap between Asian and African cricket.
Sumod Damodar, a veteran ICC hand and the head of Botswana Cricket, has been involved in discussions to revive the Afro-Asia Cup. He told Cricbuzz that Jay Shah was already on board with the decision. “We have tried to revive the Afro-Asia Cup. Jay was on board and Mahinda Vallipuram (head of Malaysia Cricket and current ICC director) actively participated in the discussions,” Damodar asserted.
Damodar also revealed that the initial plan for the Afro-Asia Cup involved a business model where 80% of the revenue generated would go to the African continent, with 10% allocated to the cash-rich boards of Asia.
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What will be the Afro-Asia Cup format?
The proposed format for the revived Afro-Asia Cup involves three stages: development, emerging, and pinnacle. This structure aims to promote cricket growth at all levels, from grassroots to international. While the plan has been made, the decision about the frequency of the tournament is yet to be decided. “We have yet to decide on the frequency – whether it will be annual or biennial. Much will depend on the calendar, the Future Tours Programme (FTP), and the international commitments of the players,” said Damodar.
It must be noted that this is not the first time Jay Shah has been prompted to make the Afro-Asia Cup a reality again. Even in 2022, he had an ambition for the tournament.
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