Asia Cup 2023 will begin tomorrow. This year, there are six teams in the tournament, namely, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. The teams will play in two rounds before the final. There is the group stage first, where Group A features Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan, and Group B consists of India, Pakistan and Nepal.
This year, the Nepal cricket team will be making its debut in the Asia Cup tournament. After some impressive performances in the ODI format, Nepal have earned a place in the main round of the continental championship.
Because of Nepal’s qualification, two other associate nations, which have participated in three or more editions of the Asia Cup in the past failed to make it. Here’s a list of those two teams.
1. UAE missed out on a place in Asia Cup 2023
UAE have been a part of three editions of the mega event in the past. They made their debut in the year 2004, and in 2008, they also qualified. In 2016, UAE made it to the first-ever T20I edition of the tournament. They have played eight matches – four in ODIs and four in T20Is – but they have failed to win any of the matches. This year, they could not even make it to the main event.
2. Hong Kong did not qualify this year
Hong Kong was a part of the last two editions of the mega event. They were in the same group as India and Pakistan in both the editions. While they gave India a scare in the ODI format in 2018, India and Pakistan bulldozed them in the other matches.
Before that, Hong Kong even made it to the mega event in the years 2004 and 2008. Just like UAE, Hong Kong never won a match. They have failed to qualify for the main event this year.
