The Asia Cup, 2015-16

After the role of the Asian Cricket Council was greatly reduced in 2015 - most functions were transferred to the ICC - some feared the biennial Asia Cup, the ACC's marquee event, would wither. However, the ICC chose to continue the tournament, at least in the medium term, if with some alterations.

The main change was that it would no longer be fixed as a 50-over competition. And because the World Twenty20 began two days after the final, it made sense for the 2016 edition of the Asia Cup to morph into a 20-over affair. It was won by a confident India, who warmed up nicely for the bigger event with five convincing victories. The original plan had been for the 2018 Asia Cup to revert to 50 overs a side - since the ICC had shifted the World T20 to a four-year cycle. But by May 2016 it looked increasingly likely that both tournaments would be played every two years, and that the 20-over structure might stick. In July, it was confirmed.

For 2016, a qualifying league was added, allowing four of the region's Associate Members to vie for a place at the main event. This preliminary stage was originally mooted as a discrete tournament to be hosted by the UAE in November 2015. However, it was postponed and moved to Bangladesh, where it became the curtain-raiser to the Asia Cup proper. Afghanistan were hot favourites to progress, only to slip up against the UAE in the opening game.

They did beat Oman and Hong Kong, but so did the UAE, who therefore joined the regional giants. Hong Kong's Babar Hayat terrorised Oman with his 60-ball 122, yet ended on the losing team. The game also included a Mankading incident, when Oman's Aamer Kaleem ran out Mark Chapman. The ICC requested that teams at the World T20 give a warning before attempting to run out a non-striker guilty of backing up too much. This was agreed, but not before some hesitation from Oman.

When the main tournament began, the green tinge of the Mirpur pitches soon became a concern. After India dismissed Pakistan for 83, M. S. Dhoni, the India captain, said the bowler-friendly surfaces devalued the competition as preparation for the World T20, and as a spectacle. As the games wore on, however, pitches became more brown than green, and in the final there was little help for the fast bowlers.

But what made the tournament tick were the full houses for the big games in Mirpur, where in the final the groundstaff might reasonably have been given the match award for their hard work after a massive storm struck 90 minutes before play was due to start. Rather less satisfactory was the standard of umpiring. India's Virat Kohli and Pakistan's Mohammad Hafeez were both victims of erroneous lbw calls, while the Sri Lanka all-rounder Tissara Perera was wrongly given out stumped by Dhoni after the square-leg umpire chose not to seek guidance from the third official. Several caught-behind appeals were ignored, most notably in the India-Pakistan clash, prompting Dhoni to wonder whether the combination of a noisy crowd and the requirement for umpires to wear earpieces was impeding their ability to detect an edge.

India, on top of their game throughout, were clear and worthy winners. Their rejigged bowling attack proved especially influential: Ashish Nehra and Jasprit Bumrah provided power, and off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin guile; Hardik Pandya looked a pace-bowling all-rounder of great promise. The batting was again led by Kohli, with telling contributions from others, including Shikhar Dhawan in the final. Driven by Sabbir Rahman - Player of the Tournament for 176 runs at a healthy rate on tricky pitches - Bangladesh could justifiably claim to be the second-best team. They beat both the confused Sri Lankans and a bedraggled Pakistan side, whose star was the rehabilitated Mohammad Amir: he claimed seven wickets and cost just five an over.

Match reports for

Qualifying Group, 1st Match: Afghanistan v United Arab Emirates at Fatullah, Feb 19, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Qualifying Group, 2nd Match: Hong Kong v Oman at Fatullah, Feb 19, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Qualifying Group, 3rd Match: Afghanistan v Oman at Fatullah, Feb 20, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Qualifying Group, 4th Match: Hong Kong v United Arab Emirates at Fatullah, Feb 21, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Qualifying Group, 5th Match: Afghanistan v Hong Kong at Mirpur, Feb 22, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Qualifying Group, 6th Match: Oman v United Arab Emirates at Mirpur, Feb 22, 2016
Report | Scorecard

1st Match: Bangladesh v India at Mirpur, Feb 24, 2016
Report | Scorecard

2nd Match: Sri Lanka v United Arab Emirates at Mirpur, Feb 25, 2016
Report | Scorecard

3rd Match: Bangladesh v United Arab Emirates at Mirpur, Feb 26, 2016
Report | Scorecard

4th Match: India v Pakistan at Mirpur, Feb 27, 2016
Report | Scorecard

5th Match: Bangladesh v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Feb 28, 2016
Report | Scorecard

6th Match: Pakistan v United Arab Emirates at Mirpur, Feb 29, 2016
Report | Scorecard

7th Match: India v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 1, 2016
Report | Scorecard

8th Match: Bangladesh v Pakistan at Mirpur, Mar 2, 2016
Report | Scorecard

9th Match: India v United Arab Emirates at Mirpur, Mar 3, 2016
Report | Scorecard

10th Match: Pakistan v Sri Lanka at Mirpur, Mar 4, 2016
Report | Scorecard

Final: Bangladesh v India at Mirpur, Mar 6, 2016
Report | Scorecard