In cricket, captaincy is of great importance, in contrast to most other sports. A cricket captain has a strong say in selecting the playing XI, preparing the game plan, and leading the team onto the field. The team's ability to perform in a game is heavily influenced by the captain's leadership qualities and decision-making abilities, both on and off the field. Let's get to know the six captains of the participating teams for the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 as well as their overall records.

Meet the six captains of the 2022 Asia Cup

The qualifier winner, Hong Kong, will join India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan to take part in the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 main event. The Hong Kong men’s national T20 team confirmed their participation after winning all three matches in the qualifier competition in Oman. As the fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup is all set to begin on August 27, let’s take a look at the stats of each captain.

Rohit Sharma (India)

Rohit’s T20I stats: 

M: 132 | Runs: 3,487 | HS: 118 | Ave: 32.28 | SR: 140.26 | 100s: 4

Rohit’s T20I performance as captain: 

M: 35 | Runs: 1,161 | HS: 118 | Ave: 36.28 | SR: 153.77 | 100s: 2

India have yet to lose a Twenty20 International series after Rohit Sharma was appointed as permanent captain earlier this year. The fact that India's T20 team has won eleven games and only lost two since February 2022 shows how effective Rohit is as a captain.

Read Asia Cup Cricket: A look back at Bangladesh’s 5 memorable victories

He is a very calm and composed leader and has a clear vision of what he wants from his players. Rohit’s individual performance as a captain has been excellent as well. He has a two-century and more than 150 strike rate as captain of the Indian national men’s T20 side. For captain Rohit, anything less than the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 trophy would be considered a failure.

Babar Azam (Pakistan)

Babar’s T20I stats: 

M: 74 | Runs: 2,686 | HS: 122 | Ave: 45.52 | SR: 129.44 | 100s: 1

Babar’s T20I performance as captain:  

M: 41 | Runs: 1,396 | HS: 122 | Ave: 42.30 | SR: 132.19 | 100s: 1

Babar Azam has an introverted personality, which is an unpopular trait for a captain. However, Babar has improved his leadership capabilities over the years. Under his leadership, the Pakistan team has shown consistency on the international stage. 

Read Asia Cup Qualifier 2022: Which team is the favourite to qualify?

Another crucial point is that Babar Azam's play has not been impacted by the additional burden of leadership. He seems to take pleasure in leading the team. Pakistan is the only team that can truly challenge hot favourite India in the coming tournament.

Dasun Shanaka (Sri Lanka)

Shanaka’s T20I stats: 

M: 68 | Runs: 1,015 | HS: 74* | Ave: 20.71 | SR: 132.19 | 50s: 4 | Wkts: 18 | BBI: 3/16 | Ave: 24.00 | Econ: 7.85

Shanaka’s T20I performance as captain: 

M: 28 | Runs: 523 | HS: 74* | Ave: 30.76 | SR: 126.94 | 50s: 2 | Wkts: 7 | BBI: 2/20 | Ave: 29.28 | Econ: 8.25

The Lankan Cricket Board is convinced that Shanaka has the capability to lead the team. Under his leadership, Sri Lanka’s young T20 side has seen considerable development. Sri Lanka's team has demonstrated its capability to beat strong teams by defeating Australia twice in the T20 format this year.

Read Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round?

They must now continue to remain consistent to become a formidable T20 opponent. Dasun Shanaka, Sri Lanka's captain, is also a standout performer in the T20 format. Shanaka’s all-round contribution, particularly his power-hitting ability, would be vital for the Lankan side in the Asia Cup.

Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)

Shakib’s T20I stats: 

M: 99 | Runs: 2,010 | HS: 84 | Ave: 23.10 | SR: 120.86 | 50s: 10 | Wkts: 121 | BBI: 5/20 | Ave: 19.95 | Econ: 6.69

Shakib’s T20I performance as captain: 

M: 21 | Runs: 454 | HS: 70* | Ave: 23.89 | SR: 130.08 | 50s: 3 | Wkts: 27 | BBI: 5/20 | Ave: 19.07 | Econ: 6.68 

Shakib Al Hasan's selection as T20 skipper by the Bangladesh Cricket Board might be a huge success. Shakib is the most versatile player in Bangladesh at the moment and has plenty of experience in the T20 format of cricket. He is also regarded as one of the smartest cricket players in the world and appears to have an answer for almost everything, particularly on the cricket field.

Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan

Shakib's individual performance is unaffected while serving as captain, which is another plus. The Bangladesh campaign is expecting Shakib to lead the team to at least the Super Four phase of the fifteenth edition of the Asia Cup.

Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan)

Nabi’s T20I stats: 

M: 96 | Runs: 1,653 | HS: 89 | Ave: 22.64 | SR: 141.52 | 50s: 4 | Wkts: 80 | BBI: 4/10 | Ave: 27.52 | Econ: 7.29

Nabi’s T20I performance as captain:  

M: 27 | Runs: 389 | HS: 46 | Ave: 20.47 | SR: 118.96 | 50s: 0 | Wkts: 17 | BBI: 2/12 | Ave: 30.11 | Econ: 6.82

The most seasoned cricketer on the current Afghanistan T20 team is Mohammad Nabi. He is the ideal candidate to lead the Afghan team because of his experience and seniority. Nabi has a respectable T20 captaincy track record.

Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament

However, he hasn't led his team to victory against a classic heavyweight opponent. The main objective of this seasoned Afghan all-rounder will be to motivate his side to defeat Bangladesh and Sri Lanka in the group stage in order to advance to the Super Four.

Nizakat Khan (Hong Kong)

Nizakat’s T20I stats: 

M: 51 | Runs: 978 | HS: 81 | Ave: 19.95 | SR: 122.24 | 50s: 5

Nizakat’s T20I performance as captain: 

M: 8 | Runs: 249 | HS: 81 | Ave: 31.12 | SR: 114.74 | 50s: 3

Nizakat Khan is a Pakistani-born Hong Kong cricketer. He is a right-hand top-order batter and a part-time leg-spin bowler. Nizakat was appointed as captain of the national T20 team in May this year. Under his leadership, Hong Kong came out with victories in all three matches of the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 Qualifier competition.

Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022

Hong Kong will be taking part in the Asia Cup competition for the fourth time. For the Hong Kong players, competing against Pakistan and India will be a terrific learning opportunity. It would be impossible to anticipate anything big from the Nizakat-led Hong Kong team in the forthcoming competition since they lack the experience to compete against strong opposition.

Who has a better captaincy record?

The Indian skipper, Rohit Sharma, has the best captaincy record as per the statistics. He has a better winning percentage than others and, most importantly, the majority of his wins have come against stronger opponents. The Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, has the second-best winning percentage with 72.22. Babar also has a fantastic captaincy record against stronger opponents.

Both the India and Pakistan campaigns are expected to display strong performances in the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 under the leadership of Rohit Sharma and Babar Azam, respectively.

Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad

Hong Kong’s Nizakat Khan and Afghanistan’s Mohammad Nabi have more than fifty percent winning records each. However, Nizakat has led only eight matches for the national side and has yet to captain against any of the ICC’s full member teams.

The upcoming Asia Cup, therefore, will be a tough challenge for Nizakat and Hong Kong as they will face two Asian heavyweights, India and Pakistan, in the group stage. On the other hand, Mohammad Nabi’s most victories as captain have come against associate nations.

Sri Lanka’s Dasun Shanaka and Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan have less than fifty percent winning records as captains. Shakib’s 33.33 percent winning percentage is a surprising stat. The ace all-rounder is the fourth most successful captain for Bangladesh in the Twenty20 format (those who have captained at least 10 matches).

Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy?

Shakib will surely aim to improve his T20I captaincy record in the forthcoming tournament. Lankan skipper Shanaka has done well with a relatively inexperienced squad. Sri Lanka’s overall team performance has improved in recent series.

All Asia Cup 2022 captains' T20I captaincy records (as on August 25, 2022)

     Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/

Read Asia Cup 2022: What could Bangladesh’s squad look like?

Aftermath

A captain may have a huge influence and play an important role in cricket. However, winning consistency also depends on the strength of a particular squad. Therefore, judging a captain only by looking at the stats is an unjust perspective. India and Pakistan are the only two teams that will start the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 campaign as favourites. They have the best squads and two of the most composed captains in the tournament.

Shakib Al Hasan, Dasun Shanaka, and Mohammad Nabi will lead relatively similar strong sides. Therefore, these captains of participating teams in the Asia Cup Cricket 2022 have a point to prove: who has the best credibility as a leader? Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan will play in Group B, so advancing to the Super Four round will be their main objective.

Any of the three teams will have a decent chance of making it to the championship game if they find the proper momentum at the right time. Furthermore, the Nizakat Khan-led Hong Kong team has virtually no chance against Pakistan and India. They lack the quality players to compete with two of Asia's cricketing powerhouses. 

Read Asia Cup 2022 Schedule: Groups, full fixtures, venues