Stakes High For Teams During Asia Cup Qualifier

Dubai: The lure of playing against India and Pakistan on the big stage is up for grabs for the team that can win the Asia Cup qualifier tournament in Oman.

Hong Kong, Kuwait, Singapore and the United Arab Emirates will battle it out in the four-team round-robin style tournament, with the winning country earning a spot in Group A at the Asia Cup later this month.

Games against India (August 31) and Pakistan (September 2) will then follow for the winner of the qualifier tournament, meaning stakes are high during the five-day event in Al-Amerat.

The United Arab Emirates are the highest ranked T20I team in the qualifier tournament at 12, but on recent form there doesn’t appear to be much between any of the four contenders.

Hong Kong will be buoyed by their comprehensive seven-wicket triumph over Singapore at the 2022 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup Global Qualifier B last month and have an experienced former first-class cricketer and Ireland international at the helm with Trent Johnston their head coach.