Twenty years ago, on a Saturday night, Richard Petrone Jr and his girlfriend Danielle Imbo, accompanied by their friends, went out to a bar in Philadelphia. Once the outing was over, Mr Petrone Jr was supposed to drop Ms Imbo off at her home in New Jersey and head back to his apartment in Philadelphia. Their friends or anyone else never heard back from them after they left the bar, CNN reported. Investigators found no forensic evidence of the couple's whereabouts after they were last seen at the bar, retired FBI special agent Vito Roselli, who was the case's first lead investigator, said. Their truck was not spotted on any of the area's toll bridge cameras and the couple's credit cards and bank accounts registered no activity, he added. The couple, along with Mr Petrone Jr's 2001 black Dodge Dakota pick-up truck, just disappeared into the night. His mother Marge Petrone said she knew something was wrong when she didn't immediately hear back from him. "...
The Asia Cup, once considered a mini-version of the World Cup, has gradually turned into a preparatory platform for the World Cup. Whichever World Cup is being held that year, be it in the ODI format or T20I, the Asia Cup is molded into the same format. Last year, when the Asia Cup was held in the UAE, it was the Sri Lanka cricket team that emerged triumphant, winning the title in the T20 format. But, this time around, the Asian sides will battle it out in the 50-over format of the game. But, why is it so?
The 'Format' of Asia Cup
Though the Asia Cup boasts of some of the top sides in the world, including India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, etc., the tournament is still seen as a 'preparatory' event. These days, the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) organises the Asia Cup the same year when the World Cup is taking place. Whichever format of the World Cup it is (T20 or 50-over), the Asia Cup takes that form. Considering the manner in which the game has grown, Asian teams do tend to benefit from this approach.
The tournament started all the way back in 1984 in the ODI format but things changed after the introduction of T20s. The last ODI Asia Cup was held in 2019, the same year the last World Cup in the format was held. It was the Indian team that clinched the title that year. But, it wasn't even a full-strength Indian side that participated in the event.
The team's talismanic batter Virat Kohli, also the team's captain back then, didn't participate in the event, giving charge to his deputy Rohit Sharma. In fact, in a game, even Rohit decided to rest himself, giving charge to MS Dhoni.
As for the 2023 edition, it will be co-hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This event will also mark the debut of Nepal in the tournament. Nepal booked their ticket to the event by winning the inaugural ACC Men's Premier Cup 2023, where they defeated the United Arab Emirates in the final.
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