Cricket: Asia Sup set to kick off this week; Trophy Tour takes pit-stop at ICC in Dubai

The Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 trophy was on display at the ICC Academy on Saturday morning for a few hours, allowing fans the chance to get a close look at the coveted inter-nation regional cricket trophy.

Prabhakaran Thanraj, Marketing Manager, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) representing both the BCCI and Asian Cricket Council, and Vijay Sajjanhar, Dubai Sports City Chief Financial Officer attended the event. 

The ICC Academy Open House was underway and cricket fans of all ages had a glimpse of the trophy, which was unveiled in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday by His Highness Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, UAE Cabinet Member and Minister of Tolerance and Emirates Cricket Board Chairman.

Vijay Sajjanhar, Dubai Sports City CFO said “Dubai Sports City preparations for the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 are in top gear. Over the past decade we have had an abundance of international teams visiting and using our facility at Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City. We are relying on that knowledge and expertise to put together what I believe will be the best Asia Cup to date.”  

The Asia Cup Teams start to arrive in the UAE on Sunday, 9 September, 2018, and they begin training for the tournament on September 10 at Dubai Sport City’s ICC Academy facility. 

2014 champions Sri Lanka who won the trophy the last time the tournament was played in the ODI format are led by Captain (Sri Lanka) Angelo Mathews who is confident his side can take home the trophy in this edition as well.

“It (my team) is a blend of youth and experience, I have got the best team. We have got the skill and potential to overcome any team on our day, and we are looking ahead to the challenges ahead.”  

Meanwhile Hong Kong who earned the sixth berth for the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018, by beating UAE in the final of the Qualifier in Malaysia are in top form says Hong Kong Captain Anshuman Rath. 

“Firstly, I would like to thank UAE for playing a tremendous game. The game got away from us for that little period. The momentum was with them, but we knew that if we kept our focus on batting that we'd get there."    

The tournament launches on September 15 with Bangladesh taking on Sri Lanka at the Dubai International stadium. 

Play begins at 03:30pm. 

Tickets for the Unimoni Asia Cup 2018 can be purchased online at Platinumlist, or at close to 100 retail outlets across the United Arab Emirates, including all UAE Exchange outlets. 

Fans can also buy season tickets for both the venues at attractive prices.  

The Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Asia Cup is a men’s One Day International and Twenty20 International cricket tournament played on a biennial basis.  

The 2018 edition is an ODI event and will take place from September 15 to 28 with a total of 13 games being played in both Dubai International Stadium, Dubai and Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

The 2018 Unimoni Asia Cup will see five games played at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi and eight taking place at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai Sports City, with the final being held on 28th September. 

More than 150,000 fans are expected to attend the 13-day tournament.