India won the 16th edition of the Asia Cup – their eighth title in the tournament’s history. Here are the key takeaways from the 2023 edition.
Pakistan, the official hosts of the 2023 Asia Cup, got off to a good start against Nepal, who were playing for the first time in the tournament, but failed to advance to the Super Four. Sri Lanka reached the final for the second year in a row, but played a terrible game and finished as runners-up. Bangladesh played well at times and were the only team to beat India. India showed strength in all areas and won the ODI Asian Cup for the second consecutive year.
Nepal and Afghanistan were eliminated in the group stage. Although Nepal lost to Pakistan, they performed reasonably well against India, scoring over 240 runs. Meanwhile, Afghanistan ended in failure as they lost a thrilling match against Sri Lanka.
India are ticking all boxes ahead of the World Cup
India got a boost with the return of three regular players Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul and Jasprit Bumrah. While Iyer suffered another injury, Rahul and Bumrah are back to form.
Shubman Gill, Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli maintained their dominance at the top of the order, while Kuldeep Yadav and Mohammed Siraj also had the ball.
More importantly, with everyone back, it looks like the middle order has finally been sorted out. Rahul, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya all stepped up with the bat. Substitutes Mohammed Shami and Prasidh Krishna performed well despite having limited playing opportunities.
Apart from the batting of Ravindra Jadeja and Shardul Thakur and the bowling of Axar Patel, India have ticked almost all the boxes in the Asia Cup and will go into their home World Cup with great confidence.
Pakistan’s troubles on and off the field
After defeating Nepal in the opening match of the tournament and putting pressure on India in a shaky league match, Pakistan suffered two heavy defeats in the Super Fours against India, overcoming the loss by 228 runs.
Two of their best fast bowlers, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf, were injured and the season went downhill from there.
Rauf was unable to bowl on the preliminary day of the India vs Pakistan match, but probably injured his shoulder in the last over of his term and is a possibility of a fall than Naseem. appears to be in an advantageous position. He was left out of the entire World Cup.
Meanwhile, Rauf missed Pakistan’s next match against Sri Lanka, forcing Pakistan to play a slower-paced attack and were unable to defend 252 in 42 overs.
Reports of infighting in locker rooms also surfaced. Pakistan was eliminated from the Asia Cup. Pakistan still holds the top spot in her ICC ODI rankings, but this Asia Cup seems to have done more harm than good heading into the World Cup.
Sri Lanka have found a gem in Dunith Wellalage
Sri Lanka continued their dominance at the Asia Cup, reaching the final for the second consecutive year despite not being among the pre-tournament favorites in either competition.
During the Asia Cup, they discovered a gem in Wellaraju. This player is an all-rounder in his bowling, spinning with his 20-year-old left arm, and Wanindu performed well with both the ball and the delivery of the ball during Hasaranga’s absence.
He had a dream performance against India, starting with the wicket on the first ball of his term and finished with 5-40, beating Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill, KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya did. Later that night, he almost took Sri Lanka to the goal line in his 42nd match unbeaten.
Vealaraju gave the Sri Lankan management a pleasant headache when he tried to include Mahish Teekshana, Hasaranga and himself in the same starting XI for the World Cup.
Bangladesh have a battery of quality seamers now
Bangladesh may have finished fourth in the Super 4, but the new team’s performance in the Asia Cup is encouraging for them. Bangladesh have always had good finger-spinners, but this is the first time in history that even Mustafizur Rahman is dangerously good at close-range attacks, despite the absence of Ebadot Hossain.
Taskin Ahmed and Mustafizur have been around for a while, but now Hasan Mahmoud and Shoriful Islam have joined them in support, while Tanzim Saqib has also arrived in style. In the Asia Cup, Taskin took 9 wickets at an average of 19, Shoriful took 7 wickets for 19, Mustafizur took 3 wickets for 21 and Mahmudlu took 4 wickets for 41.
Afghanistan still can’t close off games
Afghanistan have been making steady progress in international cricket, but the biggest problem was once again the Asia Cup. To qualify for the Super 4, he needed to make 292 in 37.1 overs against Sri Lanka, but miscalculated in the final step and failed.
This is a repeating trend in Afghanistan. They made a series of pressure-related mistakes and conceded the game from a dominant position, after repeatedly conceding goals to the teams above them.
The World Cup situation in India will suit their style of cricket, but Afghanistan will need to work on their ability to finish matches if they want to have a chance of making a mark.
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