Asia Cup: Five most heated moments in tournament's history

Cricket fans are excited to witness the Asia Cup 2023 which will be played from August 31 to September 17 in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This year, the competition will be played in One-Day International (ODI) format, and ahead of the World Cup 2023, the continental tournament will help all five Asian teams to prepare themselves for the marquee event to be held in India in October-November.

Cricket supporters are expecting quality cricket from this year’s Asia Cup. Mind games banters, and sledging might be witnessed by fans this year as well. In the past, on-field verbal altercations have happened in intense India-Pakistan matches but in the last few years, a rivalry between Pakistan and Afghanistan has also come up due to aggressive cricket and verbal fights among players of both sides. 

Here are the five most heated moments in Asia Cup history

5. Hasan Ali vs Hashmatullah Shahidi in 2018

In the 2018 Asia Cup, Pakistan clashed with Afghanistan in the first match of the Super Four round in Abu Dhabi. Winning the toss, Afghanistan elected to bat first and amassed 257 runs on the board. Afghanistan got a shaky start as their top-order batters failed to live up to the expectations.

Hashamatullah Shahidi and Asghar Afghan took the matter into their hands and played some decent strokes to help Afghanistan be in control. Shahidi, who was looking decent with the bat in the game, caused frustration among Pakistan bowlers. During the 33rd over of Afghanistan’s innings, Pakistan paceman Hasan Ali bowled to Shahidi, and the Afghan batter played it back to Hasan.

After receiving the ball, the Pakistan pacer displayed his aggression, threatening to throw the ball toward Shahidi. At the end of the match, Pakistan won the game comfortably by three wickets but Hasan was fined for breaching Level 1 of the ICC (International Cricket Council) Code of Conduct.