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Five of the world’s top 10 Twenty20 teams will compete in the 17th Asia Cup, starting in the United Arab Emirates from Tuesday, with defending champion India grouped together with archrival Pakistan.

Here’s what to know:

COMPETING TEAMS

India is No. 1, and Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh hold Nos. 7-10 in the International Cricket Council’s T20 rankings. Joining them in the tournament, which starts with two groups of four, are Hong Kong, UAE and first-timer Oman. All three of the Associate teams qualified via the ACC Premier Cup, where Nepal only narrowly missed out.

India and Pakistan being bracketed together should catch a billion-plus TV audience and raise substantial revenue for the Asian Cricket Council. Oman and UAE are the other teams in that group.

The other group contains Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and Hong Kong.

PROGRESSION

The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super 4 stage.

The groups have been formed in a way that traditional on-field and off-the-field rivals — Pakistan and India — could meet three times during the tournament, if both teams go all the way to the final on Sept. 28.

Dubai will host 11 games, including the final, and Abu Dhabi will host eight games.

ASIA CUP HISTORY

The continental tournament, which began in 1984 with only Pakistan, India and Sri Lanka, has expanded and is now staged every two years, alternating between the ODI and T20 formats depending on which ICC World Cup is next in line.

With India and Sri Lanka set to co-host the T20 World Cup next February, this Asia Cup is also in the sport’s shortest international format.

India has won the title eight times, followed by Sri Lanka with six. Pakistan won the last of its two titles in 2012.

HYBRID MODEL

The Board of Control for Cricket in India had been due to host the Asia Cup but preferred to organize the tournament in the UAE to avoid the logistical issues that come with the strained political relationship between India and Pakistan.

The neighboring countries don’t engage in bilateral tours with each other, which limits their head-to-head encounters to multinational tournaments at neutral venues.

When Pakistan hosted the Champions Trophy earlier this year, it organized for all India’s games to be staged in Dubai.

SUPER FOUR

India is a firm favorite with stars including captain Suryakumar Yadav, Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya and Jasprit Bumrah in its ranks. With the slow wickets likely to suit spinners, India has plenty of options with Axar Patel, Varun Chakravarthy and Kuldeep Yadav keen to exploit the conditions.

Pakistan has been relying on a fleet of all-rounders after ignoring its two stalwarts Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan since Dec. 2024 in the shortest format. Under new coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan has played a majority of its T20 games with only three specialist bowlers, using four allrounders to bowl out the remaining overs. Whether Hesson’s template works against the likes of India remains to be seen. 

But Hesson’s blueprint at least worked in a build-up to the Asia Cup when Afghanistan crashed to its second lowest-ever T20 score of 66 against Mohammad Nawaz’s hat-trick in the final of the tri-series at Sharjah on Sunday.

Afghanistan has plenty of spin options and could edge either Bangladesh or Sri Lanka for a place in the Super 4. Led by Rashid Khan, the leading wicket-taker in T20 cricket, Afghanistan also has experienced off-spinner Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, left-arm spinner Noor Ahmad and rookie AM Ghazanfar to challenge batters of any opposition on spin-friendly wickets.

Despite losing to Bangladesh in the recent bilateral T20 series, Sri Lanka could has the potential to make the Super 4 with opening batter Pathum Nissanka in good form at the top of the order. Wanindu Hasaranga, who injured a hamstring against Bangladesh, has regained fitness and will team up with Maheesh Theekshana and Dunith Wellalage to boost the spin options.

T20 FORMAT

It follows conventional cricket rules, where taking wickets and scoring runs are the main objectives for the bowling and batting teams, but does so in a shorter, sharper timeframe. Each team is allocated one 20-over innings to bat in each game. The main aim remains to score more runs than the opposition. Matches last around three hours.

PARIS: Mikel Merino scored a hat-trick as a majestic Spain thumped Turkiye 6-0 away in World Cup qualifying on Sunday, while a brilliant Florian Wirtz free-kick helped Germany beat Northern Ireland 3-1 to get their bid up and running.

European champions Spain were in unstoppable form in the central Turkish city of Konya, claiming their second biggest-ever away win in World Cup qualifying as Arsenal midfielder Merino scored his first professional hat-trick.

Barcelona playmaker Pedri Gonzalez opened the scoring inside six minutes and later completed the scoring, with Ferran Torres netting the visitors’ other goal.

The quality of Merino’s strikes was remarkable, with his first coming at the end of a superb team move and his second a controlled finish from a Pedri assist. He completed his triple with a curling shot into the top corner.

The one blemish on the night’s work for Spain was the withdrawal of Nico Williams due to an apparent thigh injury, but Luis de la Fuente’s team are already clear at the top of qualifying Group E with six points from two games.

“I’m very happy for winning, to pick up six points, for doing it in this way, and for scoring three goals, which is not normal — the first hat-trick of my career,” said Merino.

The group winners will qualify directly for the finals, with the runners-up progressing to a playoff phase.

Georgia and Turkiye come next on three points each, with the former beating Bulgaria 3-0 in Tbilisi thanks to goals by captain Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Nika Gagnidze and Georges Mikautadze.

Germany were under pressure after losing their opening qualifier 2-0 in Slovakia on Thursday, and it took them until the final quarter of their home meeting with Northern Ireland in Cologne before they could secure the victory.

Serge Gnabry gave the hosts an early lead only for Isaac Price of West Bromwich Albion to equalize before half-time.

The home fans were unhappy with Julian Nagelsmann’s team, but they eventually retook the lead on 69 minutes when substitute Nadiem Amiri turned in David Raum’s cross.

Liverpool star Wirtz, playing in his home city, then took center stage by converting a free-kick in style to seal Germany’s first win in Group A.

“We knew it was a catastrophe (in the) last game and we wanted to do things better,” Wirtz told Germany’s RTL network.

“It was a good performance (which) we can definitely build on.”

They and Northern Ireland both have three points, while Slovakia lead the way on six points after Tomas Rigo’s late goal clinched a 1-0 victory in Luxembourg.

Depay makes Dutch history 

Memphis Depay became the Netherlands’ all-time top goalscorer with a brace in their 3-2 win in Lithuania in Group G.

Depay, who now plays in Brazil for Corinthians, scored his 51st and 52nd international goals to move clear of Robin van Persie, with whom he had been tied in first place on half a century of strikes for the Oranje.

The 31-year-old turned in Cody Gakpo’s cutback for the opener before Quinten Timber netted the second goal for the Netherlands in Kaunas.

They appeared to be on easy street, but Torino midfielder Gvidas Gineitis pulled one back and Edvinas Girdvainis headed in the equalizer before the break for the team ranked 143rd in the world.

Depay, though, rescued the Netherlands by heading in a Denzel Dumfries cross just after the hour mark.

Ronald Koeman’s side have 10 points after four matches and are ahead of Poland on goal difference with a game in hand.

Poland won 3-1 at home to Finland in Chorzow with Matty Cash, captain Robert Lewandowski and Jakub Kaminski netting before Benjamin Kaellman pulled one back for Finland, who are three points behind the leading duo in third.

Belgium recorded a second 6-0 win in as many matches in Group J as they swept aside Kazakhstan at Anderlecht’s stadium in Brussels.

Kevin De Bruyne scored twice and is now his country’s second-top goal-scorer of all time behind Romelu Lukaku.

Jeremy Doku of Manchester City also bagged a brace, with Nicolas Raskin and Thomas Meunier netting the other goals.

North Macedonia beat Liechtenstein 5-0 in the same group and they are top with 11 points from five matches, one ahead of Belgium — who have a game in hand — and Wales.