If everything goes as per plans, we may soon be able to watch Virat Kohli and Babar Azam playing for the same team. Ever since rising to the scene, the current Pakistan skipper has drawn incessant comparison to Kohli due to his similar style and run-scoring proficiency. This is going to happen in the Afro-Asia Cup, a tournament whose last edition occurred in 2007, and the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) is now planning to revive them next year. The cricketing boards are still to submit their approval, but the ACC is confident of organising this tournament in 2023.

While Kohli’s form has deteriorated, the prospect of watching him bat together with Babar is exciting for fans of both countries. Not only that, but we’ll also see Jasprit Bumrah bowling in tandem with Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Rishabh Pant and Mohammad Rizwan sharing the dressing room. 

About the Afro-Asia Cup, Prabhakaran Thanraj, the ACC head of commercial and events, told Forbes, “We haven’t got confirmation from the boards yet. We are still working on the white paper and it will be submitted to both boards.”

“But our plan is for the best players from India and Pakistan to be playing in the Asian XI. Once plans are finalized we will go into the market for sponsorship and a broadcaster.”

This tournament was held for the last time in 2007, in which MS Dhoni slammed a century, scoring 139 off just 97 balls. In its maiden edition two years ago, the Afro-Asia Cup was played as a three-match ODI series.

Both sides clashed against each other in bilateral series a decade ago. But they usually meet in big-ticket events like World Cup and Champions Trophy. Last year, Pakistan defeated India by ten wickets in their tournament-opener of the ICC T20 World Cup. They are likely to meet again this year

Featured Image Credit: ICC