Pakistan captain Babar Azam and India superstar Virat Kohli will play in the Asia Cup 2022 on Saturday. The six-nation tournament is a warm-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October. Pakistan will rely largely on Azam’s scorching batting with Afridi injured.
The 27-year-old leads the T20 and ODI batting rankings after scoring two half-centuries in Pakistan’s 3-0 ODI whitewash of the Netherlands.
Exactly a year ago, at this very same stadium for the 2021 T20 World Cup, he hit an undefeated 68 as his team thrashed India by 10 wickets in a fierce rivalry match.
After being rested for India’s recent trip to the West Indies and Zimbabwe, star batsman Virat Kohli will play in his 100th T20 international when India takes on Pakistan in their opener.
A significant win is desperately needed for the 33-year-old. He has not scored a century on the international stage since November of 2019 and is currently experiencing the lowest point in an otherwise brilliant career.
Though he has scored 27 hundreds in 102 Tests since his 2011 debut, Kohli has had a rough year that culminated in his removal as national captain.
According to former India coach Ravi Shastri, “mouths will shut for the rest of the tournament” if he scores fifty in the opening game.
Wanindu Hasaranga’s leg spin was a major factor in his rise to prominence as an impact bowler during the 2018 Indian Premier League season. He amassed 26 wickets in 16 games.
He will be leading the Sri Lankan bowling attack alongside fellow spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffery Vandersay, and Praveen Jayawickrama on the slow grounds that favor spin in the United Arab Emirates.
Hasaranga, 25, is an adept lower-middle-order batsman who Sri Lanka rested for The Hundred in England so that he would be at full strength for the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup.
Even though he has a history of controversy, Bangladesh’s most consistent performance Shakib Al Hasan has been back in the captain’s role.
Bangladesh has only won two of their previous fifteen Twenty20 matches, and their star all-rounder was advised to cut links with a gambling service to regain the captaincy.
The left-handed batsman and spinner, 35, will be starting his 100th T20 international for Bangladesh on Tuesday against Afghanistan in the tournament opener for the Asia Cup. With 112 wickets in 66 T20 internationals, leg-spinner Rashid Khan will be Afghanistan’s primary bowler in the fight for the Asian title.
The 23-year-old’s aggressive batting in the lower order and ability to take wickets have made him a huge success in T20 competitions throughout the world, most notably the Indian Premier League.
Alongside captain Mohammad Nabi, Rashid will be a crucial member of the team as he splits spin bowling duties with Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
Mahnur is MS(development Studies)Student at NUST University, completed BS Hons in Eng Literature. Content Writer, Policy analyst, Climate Change specialist, Teacher, HR Recruiter.
