The current format of Asia Cup doesn’t do justice to weak teams: Wasim Jaffer

Bangladesh suffered a heavy heart-breaking defeat against Sri Lanka in their second 2022 Asia Cup clash on Thursday. They lost their opening clash against Afghanistan and needed a win against Sri Lanka to progress to the Super-Four round. They put a solid 184-run target for the Asian giants while batting first but the latter managed to pull a remarkable comeback win in the last over to kick Bangladesh out the tournament.

Last edition's finalists became the first team to exit the tournament after losing both the group stage fixtures despite an impressive show in the second match. Fans will feel a little harsh with the tournament's current format as their favourite team played only two matches. Fans are already raising their voice against the format as two of six teams only get to play two matches and miss the chance to face all the participating teams on such a big platform.

New format favours India vs Pakistan game: Wasim Jaffer

Former Indian cricketer Wasim Jaffer also agreed with fans' opinion regarding the current format of the Asia Cup during his discussion on Bat Bricks7's Run Ki Runneeti on CricTracker before the Pakistan vs Hong Kong game. He stated that the new format of the Asia Cup favours India vs Pakistan game more and suggested that it profits broadcasters. 

Both India and Pakistan, two of the top-three ranked teams on ICC T20I charts, are placed in Group A and clashed in the second match of the tournament last Sunday. Now both the teams are set to face each other again in the Super-Four clash on September 4 and probably again in the final of September 11. Jaffer highlighted that India vs Pakistan game is important for the broadcasters in terms of viewership but also said that it's a little harsh for the other teams like Bangladesh and Hong Kong.

"In the previous Asia Cup tournaments, all six participating teams played against each other once and then two teams played final. But in this edition, they (organizers) wanted to conduct more India vs Pakistan matches to help broadcasters gain more viewership. It's really good format for the broadcasters who are getting all the views but I think it's a little harsh for the other teams," Wasim Jaffer said before Pakistan vs Hong Kong game on Friday.