Finally, the Asia Cup is back on the cricketing calendar this year after a gap of four years. Last time, it was held in the UAE in 2018, which was won by India, and this year also it’s happening at the same venue. For a majority of cricket lovers in Asia, the prospect of an India-Pak clash is far more exciting than who wins the coveted trophy eventually. The arch-rivals are set to play at least two games with each other this time. However, even other contests can be hugely exciting, for example, India were part of two thrillers in 2018 against Bangladesh in the final and against Afghanistan in a group fixture. Overall, it is going to be an adrenaline-pumping tournament and as the Asia Cup starts on August 26 let us explore the important aspects concerning various teams in the tournament.
Pakistan Battle Injury Concerns & Rue Lack Of T-20 Match Practice
If Shaheen Shah Afridi pulling out of the tournament due to a knee injury was not enough, then Pakistan got another jolt recently with another bowler Mohammad Wasim pulling out of a practice session due to back pain. The jury is still not out on Wasim but Pakistan’s bowling attack looks somewhat weakened in the absence of their premier bowler Afridi, who played a major part in dismantling India’s top order in the T-20 World Cup last year. So, will the currently ranked number 3 team in the shortest format be able to trouble batters of the rival teams, especially India, in the absence of their bowling spearhead? Also, they have just played one T-20 game this year, a one-off against Australia, so can Babar Azam-led team pull off a spirited performance under the circumstances?
India Affected By An Awfully Out Of Form Kohli & Inconsistent Rohit
India is currently placed number 1 in the ICC’s T-20 ranking and they also happened to be defending champions. Does that mean all is well in the team? No, as both Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma are struggling for runs. Though the latter had a few decent outings off late, the former is struggling to get going in all the formats currently. These two batters matter a lot in chasing as well as setting a target and their performances are crucial for India to put up a better show in the tournament. If they fail to find their feet, will others such as Suryakumar Yadav, KL Rahul or Rishabh Pant step up? Most importantly, India will miss the services of their premier bowler Jasprit Bumrah due to an injury this time as well. However, they have played well and won all the T-20 bilateral series this year so far. Will that be sufficient for India in the United Arab Emirates this time?
Can Lankans Spring A Surprise?
Sri Lanka is currently ranked eighth and do not have a good record in T-20 as they begin to kick off their Asia Cup campaign in the UAE. They have lost all the three T-20 series they played so far this year, two against Australia and one against India. But they have a lot of options when it comes to all-rounders, especially the skipper Dasun Shanaka, and their spinners Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana can cause a lot of problems to the batters on the UAE pitches. In fact, Hasaranga is ranked sixth in the ICC’s ranking of T-20 bowlers and he also took a hat trick in last year’s T-20 World Cup on the same surfaces. And he can bat too. So, the island nation cannot be taken lightly despite the fall in their overall cricketing standards of late.
Will Bangla Tigers Be Third-time Lucky?
This question needs to be asked as they were the runners-up previously in 2016 (T-20 format) and 2018 (ODI format) and the defeat in the last edition was also quite narrow. However, they are even behind Sri Lanka in the T-20 ranking and are currently placed 9th in the list. They have the veteran Shakib Al Hasan along with Mahudullah and Mushfiqur Rahim to take on some of the heavy-weight opposition teams. But their poor outings this year might come back to haunt them in the current tournament as they had an ordinary year in the T-20 format, drew level a series against Afghanistan but lost the series against West Indies and Zimbabwe. So, Shakib and the company will have to unleash their full potential for Bangladesh to leave a lasting impact in the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup.
