India, Pakistan cricket stars to unite in Asia XI as Afro-Asia cup eyes comeback after two decades

The Africa Cricket Association (ACA) has announced plans to revive the Afro-Asia Cup, a much-anticipated series of white-ball matches featuring an Asian XI pitted against an African XI. This decision came during the ACA’s Annual General Meeting held on Saturday, where a six-person interim committee was appointed to restructure the organization and enhance competitive opportunities for players across the continent.

A key goal of the interim committee is to forge partnerships with organizations like the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) to explore cross-continental initiatives, including the Afro-Asia Cup. This tournament has a rich history, having been played only twice—first in 2005 in South Africa and again in 2007 in India. A planned third edition in 2009 in Kenya was ultimately scrapped, but nearly two decades later, there is renewed hope for its return.

If the tournament is successfully reinstated, it could provide a rare opportunity for players from India and Pakistan to unite in the Asia XI team, as both nations currently do not engage in bilateral cricket.

Tavengwa Mukuhlani, the interim chair of the ACA and also the Chair of Zimbabwe Cricket, emphasized the significance of the Afro-Asia Cup not just for cricketing reasons, but for its potential financial benefits.

"The Afro-Asia Cup, apart from the cricket, brings the much-needed financial input to the organisation, and the appetite is huge from both ends," Tavengwa Mukuhlani, interim chair of the ACA, who is also the Zimbabwe Cricket Chair, said at a press conference. "We have had conversations with our counterparts within the Asia Cricket Council, and obviously our African contingents, they want the Afro-Asia Cup to be revived."

While the ACC had not provided a statement to ESPNcricinfo regarding the tournament's return at the time of publication, the historical context of the matches reveals a pattern of dominance by Asia. The inaugural series in 2005 ended in a draw after one match was rained out, while the 2007 edition saw the Asia XI claim victory in all three games. Notable players who represented the Asia XI in the past include cricket legends such as Inzamam-ul-Haq, MS Dhoni, and Sachin Tendulkar.

The political landscape between India and Pakistan has significantly shifted since the last Afro-Asia Cup, primarily due to tensions following the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Since then, the two nations have only played a single bilateral series during 2012-13, with interactions limited to ICC events.

In addition to the Afro-Asia Cup, the ACA is exploring the establishment of the Africa Premier League, a concept described by CEO Cassim Suliman as a "mini version of the IPL." While still in the planning phase, Suliman outlined the initiative's goals of securing sponsorships and board approval before launching the league, which is designed to provide competitive cricket while benefiting participants.

"We are planning to, after board approval, bring the Africa Premier League. That's what we're busy with at the moment on the sponsorship. Once that comes together, we will go to the board, the board will okay it, and then we will take it from there," he said. "It's the mini vision of the IPL. So we're taking that concept of the IPL and driving that concept to ensure that everybody benefits in that aspect. As far as where we're going to play, the board will decide. We're going to look at facilities that are going to warrant spectator viewership. It's still at the initial stage. Obviously, we want to do things right the first time to make sure we get the ball rolling on it. But the board will decide exactly who's hosting and from there, we'll take it to them from there. It's going to be like the IPL format, but with a lower status and then we'll grow it from there."

Currently, the only franchise tournament operating in Africa is South Africa's SA20. However, Mukuhlani expressed optimism that a South African franchise could participate in the Africa Premier League, which would enhance the competition's profile and provide valuable experience for emerging players from other African nations.

"The participation of South Africa and Zimbabwe gives context to the competition, and there is also the experience that the upcoming teams get from playing alongside players from South Africa and Zimbabwe," he said. "So yes, we will participate."