The Asia Cup: The Bigger Picture

The last three weeks saw the Asia Cup in full swing. The tournament took place in both Pakistan and Sri Lanka, with its participants—Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka—putting on a show in dominant or, in some cases, lucky fashion. With the Cricket World Cup just around the corner, the Asia Cup gave us a glimpse of what each team will bring to the major tournament this winter.

Nepal

Though they will not play in the World Cup, Nepal used the Asia Cup as a platform to show its courage and defiance against the big dogs. Being grouped with India and Pakistan almost meant the team stood no chance. However, Nepal showed much resilience and glimpses of what they could offer to the big stage. During Nepal’s first match against Pakistan, the bowlers bowled wonderfully in the first 30 overs, getting the ball to swing on a dead track, especially Karan K.C., who ended with figures of one for 54 in nine overs, underlying his defensive brilliance. However, Pakistan’s experience showed, with Babar Azam scoring 150 runs and Iftikhar Ahmed scoring his first ODI single. Nepal got blown away by the Pakistani fast bowlers for a mere 105 runs. Against India, the Nepali openers batted with patience and guided the team to 230 all out in 48 overs. With pouring rain in the second innings, Nepal didn’t bowl as well and were unable to pick up a wicket. Though Nepal didn’t have much to offer in terms of results, they definitely won the hearts of many viewers.

Afghanistan

Afghanistan’s Asia Cup was full of misery and heartbreak. The team came into the tournament with a lot of hope and ambition, having one of the best bowling attacks featuring spin trio Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammad Nabi, and icon Rashid Khan along with pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi. However, throughout the tournament, their bowlers struggled to put on any kind of performance. Against Bangladesh in Lahore, the spinners gave away 178 runs in 30 overs, for only a single wicket. Farooqi gave away 53 runs in only six overs, terrible for his standards. Afghanistan went on to lose the game by 89 runs. In the high-stakes knockout game against Sri Lanka, the Afghans experienced two very different halves. Rahman, Khan, and Farooqi all struggled with the ball, leaking a combined 175 runs in just 27 overs, allowing Sri Lanka to post a total of 291. To qualify, Afghanistan had to chase the total down in 37 overs and one ball. Rahmat Shah and the skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi played responsible knocks. However, the man in the spotlight was Nabi, who scored 65 in just 32 balls, the fastest 50 by an Afghan batsman in One Day Internationals. Unfortunately for Afghanistan, they couldn’t get the runs in 37.1 overs. Despite this, they could have qualified if a batsman hit a six off one of the next three balls. But the team didn’t know this information, so Farooqi blocked the deliveries and got out, knocking Afghanistan and its dreams out of contention. With the World Cup a month away, Afghanistan has hit a new low at the worst possible time, with clueless team management and its bowl-heavy superstars out of form with the ball.

Pakistan

Pakistan came into the tournament as one of the favorites to win it all. However, their performances have said otherwise and are a cause of concern ahead of the World Cup. Pakistan cruised its way into the Super 4 playoff round with dominant performances against Nepal and India. Against India, the superstar pace trio of Naseem Shah, Harris Rauf, and Shaheen Shah Afridi came through, with the pacers taking all 10 wickets. However, the party was spoiled when rain overtook Pakistan’s innings, and the bout ended with no result. In the Super 4, Pakistan had some games to forget. They started their campaign with a dominant performance against Bangladesh on a dead Lahore pitch, where Rauf utilized his pace to scalp four wickets for just 19 runs. However, against India and Sri Lanka, the team wasn’t as fortunate. India got to a score of over 350. Pakistan, in response, were all out for a disappointing 128 against their “arch nemesis,” with Kuldeep Yadav taking five wickets. The Sri Lanka match was far closer than it should have been. Pakistan staggered its way to a score of 252, thanks to a Mohmmad Rizwan special at number four that scored 86 runs. The Sri Lankan innings was in full flow and they won the game on the last ball. For Pakistan, the Asia Cup exposed a lot of weaknesses in its roster. Captain Azam hasn’t been in the best form, as his stumps got rattled several times throughout the tournament. Except for his innings against Nepal, he had no real showing with the bat, scoring just 200 runs in the tournament. Shadab Khan has scored a disastrous 13 runs in four matches and taken only six wickets in five matches. Without Shadab Khan, the team balance is in jeopardy for a team considered a favorite for the World Cup. To add to the misery, Shah and Rauf picked up major injuries against India that may put their spot in the World Cup in question. With injuries and a lack of consistency in the team, Pakistan may not be the favorite they were thought to be for the World Cup.

Bangladesh 

Bangladesh’s tournament was filled with shockingly mixed results. The nation started its campaign against Sri Lanka and was blown away by the Lions. Najmul Hossain Shanto top scored in the Bangladesh innings with 89 runs, as the Bangladesh Tigers were bowled out for a timid 164. In response, Sri Lanka chased the target down in 39 overs. Against Afghanistan, the Tigers displayed a clinical performance, with all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shanto scoring hundreds. The Super 4 for Bangladesh was a wild one. After being blown away by Pakistan, Bangladesh had a change in fortune. They were set to play rivals Sri Lanka—an opponent whom they were very capable of beating. Brilliant Bangladeshi death bowling saw Sri Lanka end at 257. Bangladesh’s batting, though, fell like dominos. Rookie Towhid Hridoy scored 82 but the Tigers fell just 21 runs short of a win, and soon followed a major upset. Bangladesh took on India, where both teams played their bench. Bangladesh scored 265 runs, thanks to the leadership of Shakib Al Hasan and Hridoy once again, scoring 80 and 54 respectively. Tanzim Sakib and Mustafizur Rahman bowled beautifully to allow Bangladesh to grab a consolation win against the Men in Blue. Ahead of the World Cup, Bangladesh have a lot to smile about. The pace attack with Ahmed, Islam, Rahman, Mahmud, and Sakib is a solid unit. “When you don’t have room for a Mustafizur Rahman, that means the youngsters are doing well and the pace battery of Bangladesh have come forward,” former Sri Lankan cricketer and current ESPNcricinfo analyst Farveez Maharoof said. Bangladesh’s batsmen have also stepped up to the occasion. Miraz, a normal number seven batsman, got the opportunity to open the innings and scored a century. Nasum Ahmed, a lower-order batsman, scored valuable runs against India. Bangladesh have found some young faces to go with its experience and have the momentum and confidence to shine on a platform such as the World Cup.

India

India, who were crowned champions, were consistently performing at a high level throughout the tournament. Bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Kuldeep Yadav, and Hardik Pandya played comfortably in the Sri Lankan terrain. However, there were some games where India was not tested at the highest capability. In the first India-Pakistan match of the Asia Cup, rain canceled the game, and before the rain, India performed poorly with the bat. In their next game against Nepal, the Indian team had a convincing victory. They beat Nepal by 10 wickets, with openers Rohit Sharma and Shubham Gill scoring 74 runs and 67 runs, respectively. In the Super 4, India came out on top, winning two out of three games. In their first Super 4 game against Sri Lanka, India went all out for 213 runs, but were able to restrict Sri Lanka to only 172 runs, thanks to great bowling by spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who got a four-wicket haul. They played a one-sided bout against Pakistan, with batsmen Virat Kohli and Kl Rahul scoring 122 runs while restricting Pakistan to only 128 runs. The only loss India had was against Bangladesh, but this was mainly because of the benching of key players, such as Virat Kohli. In the final, India dominated against Sri Lanka, getting them all out for only 50 runs, with Siraj running riot with four wickets. India had concerns with its team selection throughout the Asia Cup. The team was missing spinners such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravi Ashwin, a bold call made by selectors for such a major tournament. Axar Patel, the left-arm spin bowler, got injured during the bout against Bangladesh. With the spinner injured, there is more room for a talented all-rounder such as Ashwin. India’s batsmen, such as Rahul and Kohli, have peaked at the right time, as the team looks as solid as ever. Overall, if India keep up this performance in the World Cup, then they can certainly be considered to be a contender to win the whole event.

Sri Lanka  

The runners-up of the tournament played exceptionally well. In the group stages, the Sri Lankan team beat both Bangladesh and Afghanistan. Sri Lanka’s match against Afghanistan was extremely close, with Sri Lanka only winning by two runs. A four-wicket haul by Kasun Rajhita and a great final-over performance by Dhananjaya de Silva helped Sri Lanka over the finish line. In the last four, Sri Lanka beat both Bangladesh and Pakistan and lost only to India. The final saw a rematch between Sri Lanka and India, but unfortunately, Sri Lanka got all out for only 50 runs. A four-wicket haul in the first over by Mohammed Siraj completely broke the momentum of the Sri Lankans, and they never recovered from this heavy blow. Many argue that Sri Lanka did not put in full effort in the final. “The Sri Lankan batters didn’t learn from their mistakes. They didn’t use their brain[s] and it seemed as if they were eager to go back to the dressing room,” pundit Ramiz Raja said. Sri Lanka came into the tournament with a lot of key players missing, such as bowlers Wanindu Hasaranga and Dushmantha Chameera. They played with their second-string bowling group, but still made the most of it. Its batsmen, especially Kusal Mendis and Sadeera Samarawickrama put on consistent batting performances with the bat. With the batsmen in fine tune, Sri Lanka will certainly be a dark horse for the World Cup when the Sri Lankan primary bowling lineup returns to action.

The Asia Cup had many one-sided affairs but also produced some thrilling contests. With the World Cup a month away, some teams carry momentum while others appear directionless before the global tournament. With the Asia Cup concluded, teams now have the opportunity to carry on with the momentum or fix their mistakes before what will be one of the greatest Cricket World Cups of our generation.