The fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup cricket competition will begin on August 27 in the UAE. Six nations will compete in the main event. Five teams get a direct entry, while the remaining one team will be picked from a qualifier competition. The automatically qualified teams are India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan. The forthcoming Asia Cup 2022 will be the ideal dress rehearsal for the competing teams since the Twenty20 World Cup 2022 is around the corner. Let’s have a look at who has the perfect balance to win the trophy.
Asia Cup 2022 Format
The fifteenth edition of Asia Cup cricket will be played in the Twenty20 format. The competition will be divided into two stages (group phase and super fours) before the all-important final. India, Pakistan, and the winner of the qualifier will play in Group A. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh will play in Group B.
The top two teams in each group will advance to the Super Fours round. All the teams will play against each other in the Super Fours phase in order to finish in the top two in the points table and secure a place in the championship match.
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Sharjah Cricket Stadium and Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the UAE will host all the fixtures of the competition. The group stage will be held from August 28 to September 1, and the Super Fours phase will be held from September 3 to September 9. The final match of the Asia Cup 2022 will take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 11.
Which teams have the best chance to win the 2022 Asia Cup?
India is the most successful team in the competition as per Asia Cup Cricket history. The Indian national men’s cricket team has won the competition a record seven times in 13 appearances, including the maiden T20 format event in 2016. Sri Lanka are in second position with five trophies, while Pakistan have won two trophies. These three Asian giants will thrive for the trophy.
Bangladesh have never won an Asian Cup cricket competition, having reached the final thrice in the previous four editions. However, Bangladesh's twenty20 team is currently going through a bad patch and the expectations will be low from them during the main event. On the other hand, Afghanistan are a very competitive T20 side and they have emerged as giant killers in recent times. The Afghan team will give a hard time to the other opponents.
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Whoever qualifies from the UAE, Kuwait, Singapore, and Hong Kong for the main event by participating in the qualifier will not be in the race for the title. Let’s have a look at the chances of India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh winning the 2022 Asia Cup.
India
India are the highest ranked T20I side in the world. India have had a great run of form since the T20 World Cup 2021 and, more importantly, they are in the game. The Indian Twenty20 International side has played 24 matches since the last World Cup event. They have lost only four matches and won six bilateral T20I series. India will be the team to beat in the upcoming Asian Cup cricket competition and they will be the hot favourites to lift the trophy for the eighth time.
India’s Strengths
India’s biggest strength is that they have the right balance and great alternatives in each position. Their top order is one of the best in the world, their middle-order has some magnificent power hitters and they also have some Twenty20 specialist bowlers.
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India’s Weaknesses
The Indian team doesn't appear to have any significant flaws that should cause worry. However, those who will be in the playing XI could be under pressure to deliver as India have strong backups in the squad. Virat Kohli’s recent form on the international stage could be another source of concern for Team India, and surprisingly, he may not be among the five most important players for the side during the tournament.
Five key players to watch:
Rohit Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pakistan
Pakistan are in third position in the ICC’s Twenty20 rankings. Like India, Pakistan’s recent T20 form has been quite impressive. They have lost only one match in their previous seven Twenty20 Internationals. Pakistan will pose a real title challenge to India during the forthcoming Asia Cup competition. They are the first team to announce their squad and will be strong favourites to win the competition.
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Pakistan’s Strengths
The Pakistan T20 side is currently one of the best in the world. Their captain, Babar Azam, is ranked first in the rankings, and his opening partner, Mohammad Rizwan, is in third position. So, they have arguably the best opening pair in the world for the shortest format of the game. Pakistan also has a great variety in their bowling lineup and this unit can destroy any batting order in the world.
Pakistan’s Weaknesses
One of the major areas of concern for Pakistan is that they have a less-experienced middle-order. The experienced Shoaib Malik was overlooked, and many pundits believe excluding him was a mistake. Therefore, the middle order could be exposed if the openers fail to give the team a solid start. The selectors also didn’t pick Imad Wasim and Hasan Ali, both of whom are highly rated T20 players.
Five key players to watch:
Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan and Fakhar Zaman.
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Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka are the eighth-ranked side by the ICC. Their recent performances in the format haven’t been up to the mark. Sri Lanka have only won two out of eleven matches this year, and both victories came against Australia. Sri Lanka’s overall record in the Asia Cup is really good and that could encourage them to do well in the upcoming event.
Sri Lanka’s Strengths
The Lankan side has some talented young players who have power hitting ability. Besides, they have effective spinners like Wanindu Hasaranga and Praveen Jayawickrama who can pose a threat in the middle overs.
Sri Lanka’s Weaknesses
Sri Lanka's players are talented, but they don’t have enough experience to win big tournaments like the Asia Cup. Finding a right balance against the opposition like India and Pakistan would be a major concern for the Lankan team.
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Five key players to watch:
Danushka Gunathilaka, Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama and Wanindu Hasaranga
Afghanistan
Afghanistan are sitting ninth in the rankings, and they are an exciting team to watch. The Afghan national side is having a good run at the moment in the T20 format. However, they have played weaker opponents in recent series. Afghanistan’s main target in the Asia Cup would be to qualify for the Super Fours.
Afghanistan’s Strengths
The Afghanistan T20 side’s main strength is their bowling. They have arguably the best limited-overs spinner, Rashid Khan, and the world’s number one T20 all-rounder, Mohammad Nabi. Besides, Mujeeb Ur Rahman and Fazalhaq Farooqi are two promising T20 bowlers who have the ability to destroy the opposition batting line-up. They have some quality shortest format batters as well.
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Afghanistan’s Weaknesses
Afghanistan always performs whenever they face a less strong opponent. However, they don’t have a great record against big opposition. In order to be a top-ranked T20 side, Afghanistan have to start winning against big opposition.
Five key players to watch:
Rashid Khan, Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi and Najibullah Zadran
Bangladesh
Bangladesh are currently ranked 10th by the ICC, the lowest among India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. They haven’t won a T20I series since September last year. More importantly, the Tigers recently lost a bilateral series against Zimbabwe, which indicates they are currently in a serious bad run of form in the shortest format of the game. Bangladesh’s main target would be to first qualify for the Super Fours round.
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Bangladesh’s Strengths
Bangladesh’s bowling department is relatively in good shape at the moment. They have three very good pacers and a couple of quality left-arm spinners.
Bangladesh’s Weaknesses
The Bangladesh team is in bad shape at the moment. They don’t have a quality opening pair or power hitters for the death overs. Finding the right balance for the playing XI would be a major concern for the Tigers' team management.
Five key players to watch:
Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mustafizur Rahman, and Afif Hossain.
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Verdict
India are clearly the overwhelming favourite to win the Asia Cup 2022. They have a strong team with the ideal mix in each department. The Pakistan Twenty20 national team is currently doing well in the shortest format of the game. They are the only other team in the tournament that can compete with India. Bangladesh, Afghanistan, and Sri Lanka all have an outside chance, but it would be a surprise if any of these three countries triumphed.