Cricket
Don't expect big things at Asia Cup: Shakib
Bangladesh T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan has asked the country's cricket community not to expect big things at the Asia Cup, starting August 27 in the UAE.
Playing down his team's chances at the tournament, the all-rounder said Bangladesh played 35 T20s in the last two years and won only 13 of them.
"If we can show a bit of improvement at the Asia Cup from what we have done over the last few years, it would be an achievement," Shakib told the media Monday. "One should not expect that we will make it to the final."
Also read: Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022
The last time the Asia Cup was played as a T20 event was in 2106 when hosts Bangladesh finished runners-up to India.
Shakib said rather than hoping to win the Asia Cup, the expectations should be about doing better in the shorter format of the game in the next four years.
"We are a good team and we have done it before. And we do not have to change the way we play cricket but it is important that we use our resources properly," the all-rounder added.
Bangladesh will not get the service of head coach Russell Domingo at the Asia Cup. Domingo will coach the Bangladesh team in Tests and ODIs only.
Also read: T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib
The BCB has appointed the former Indian cricketer Sridharan Sriram as the technical consultant (T20 head coach) for the Bangladesh T20 team.
The Tigers will travel to the UAE for the upcoming Asia Cup on August 23. Six teams will play in the biggest cricketing event in Asia.
In the group stage, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka on August 29 and September 1.
Asia Cup 2022 Group B Preview: Can Bangladesh Reach Super 4 Round?
The Asia Cup cricket 2022 will begin with the group phase contest. Six teams will be divided into two groups, each containing three. India, Pakistan and the winner of the qualifier will play in Group A. On the other hand, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan will play in Group B, which is considered the group of death. The Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview is discussed in this article.
Asia Cup Cricket 2022: Group B Preview
Finishing in the top two in the Group B points table will be a real challenge as all are well capable of advancing to the Super Four phase. A fiercely contested battle is expected in all three matches in this group. Let’s take a closer look at each squad in this group.
Bangladesh
The Bangladesh cricket team’s recent T20 performances have been unimpressive. Their two T20I victories this year have come against Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, respectively. They even failed to win a series against the Zimbabwean team a few weeks ago.
Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan
So, the Bangladesh team is not heading to the Asia Cup with their best of form. Appointing Shakib Al Hasan as captain and hiring Sridharan Sriram as technical consultant are two good decisions the BCB made prior to the tournament. However, as per recent form, Bangladesh will not start as the favourite to finish in the top two in Group B.
Strengths
Having Shakib Al Hasan as captain could be Bangladesh’s main strength in the tournament. The Shakib-led Bangladesh team is expected to be rejuvenated during the main event. His decision-making ability, game awareness and leadership qualities are compared to none at the moment in Bangladesh. Besides, spinners can play a vital role in the middle overs to check the run flow of the opposition.
Weaknesses
The Bangladesh team has two major weaknesses in the T20 format of cricket. The team doesn’t have an established opening pair, and there is no proper power hitter for the death overs. It remains to be seen how they will address the deficiencies during the Asia Cup. Multiple sources have claimed that Shakib wants Mushfiqur Rahim to open the innings. The selectors recalled Sabbir Rahman to play the power hitting role in the middle order.
Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament
T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Afghanistan
Bangladesh have a poor T20 record against both Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The team Tigers has won only four matches and lost eight against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, Bangladesh have three victories and five losses against Afghanistan.
Predicted Playing XI:
Top-Order: Mushfiqur Rahim (wicket-keeper), Anamul Haque, Shakib Al Hasan (captain);
Middle-Order: Afif Hossain, Mahmudullah Riyad, Mosaddeck Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin;
Lower-Order: Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Nasum Ahmed
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka have played eleven Twenty20 matches this year, eight against Australia and three against India. They have won two matches and both came against Australia. So, playing against tough opposition will boost Sri Lanka’s confidence ahead of the group stage clashes. The Lankan side will start as favourites to finish top in Group B.
Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022
Strengths
Over the last one year, the cricket world has witnessed some seriously talented T20 format cricketers from Sri Lanka. They have some individual match-winners, which is their biggest strength. Among them, all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga will top the list. Besides, Dushmantha Chameera, Pathum Nissanka, and hard-hitter Dasun Shanaka are some of Sri Lanka’s top performers in recent series.
Weaknesses
Most of the Lankan players don’t have enough international experience. Besides, constructing a match-winning playing XI could be a major concern for them.
T20 Records against Afghanistan and Bangladesh
Sri Lanka have won eight matches against Bangladesh and lost four. On the other hand, Sri Lanka won the only T20 game they played against Afghanistan in 2016.
Predicted Playing XI
Top-Order: Danushka Gunathilaka, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka,
Middle-Order: Bhanuka Rajapaksa (wicket-keeper), Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka (captain), Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne,
Lower-Order: Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Praveen Jayawickrama.
Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad
Afghanistan
Afghanistan have won the majority of their T20 matches this year. However, all of their fixtures were against weaker opponents. They have some T20 specialist players who have the ability to change the scenario of a match on their own. Afghanistan will start as the second favourite to qualify for the Super Four round from this group.
Strengths
Afghanistan have some of the best T20 format spinners in their squad. Mohammad Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, and Rashid Khan are all world-class bowlers. Besides, their captain, Nabi, is the current world No. 1 all-rounder. He would probably be the most vital player for the Afghan side. They have some quality power hitters as well, and one of them is Hazratullah Zazai.
Weaknesses
The Afghanistan team sometimes tends to lose grip whenever they face any tough opposition. The Afghan players have to develop patience and a steady approach to have a solid performance against stronger opponents.
T20 Records against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Afghanistan have won five matches against Bangladesh and lost three. On the other hand, Afghanistan lost the only T20 match they played against Sri Lanka in 2016.
Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy?
Predicted Playing XI
Top-Order: Hazratullah Zazai, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicket-keeper), Ibrahim Zadran,
Middle-Order: Usman Ghani, Najibullah Zadran, Mohammad Nabi (captain), Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan,
Lower-Order: Naveen-ul-Haq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Asia Cup 2022: Full Fixtures of Group B
The Asia Cup of Cricket 2022 will kick off with the Group B match between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. Here are the fixtures for Group B.
Date: 27 August | Match: Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Date: 30 August | Match: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan | Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Date: 1 September | Match: Sri Lanka vs Bangladesh | Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium
Verdict
According to the Asia Cup 2022 Group B preview, Bangladesh will not begin the match as the favourites to advance to the next round. However, if the Shakib Al Hasan-led Tigers T20 team can reach their full potential during the competition, they have the ability to shock everyone.
The favourites in this group, the Sri Lankan campaign is in full confidence, especially following a strong performance in their most recent T20 series against Australia. Afghanistan, on the other hand, has a reputation for being a deadly T20 team and is innately confident in their ability to defeat anyone. Bangladesh must thus work hard to defeat these two confident teams to secure a spot in the Super Four.
Read ICC CWC Super League: WI, SL, SA could miss out on direct qualification
ICC CWC Super League: WI, SL, SA could miss out on direct qualification
Qualification for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup is well and truly heating up. Thirteen teams have participated in the ICC CWC Super League to earn a spot in the next 50-over World Cup. The top seven teams in the points standings and the host of the 13th edition of the ODI World Cup, India, will automatically advance to the main event. As the qualifier competition is nearing its end, three full members—West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa—are in danger of missing out on direct qualification. Let’s take a look at the complete World Cup qualification scenario.
Which teams are in a strong position in the ICC CWC Super League?
With less than one third of the fixtures left in the ICC Cricket World Cup Super League 2020-2023, the points table has nicely shaped up to understand which teams are in a better position to qualify for the main event.
Reigning champions, England became the first team to secure a place in the World Cup 2023 with 125 points in 18 matches. Bangladesh and Pakistan are in second and third place, respectively, with 120 points each. Both teams are one win away from booking their place in the main event. With six matches left for Bangladesh and Pakistan, respectively, their places in the next World Cup are all but assured. However, they may not need to win any more matches if the bottom-placed teams continue to lose points.
Read Pakistan sweeps ODI series with 9-run win vs Netherlands
New Zealand and Afghanistan are in very strong positions as well in the ICC CWC Super League points table. The Blackcaps are in fourth position with 110 points, followed by the Afghan side in fifth position with 100 points. With both teams having 12 matches left each, their route to World Cup qualification is clear.
The tournament host, India, are in sixth position with 99 points. India will likely be in fifth place if they whitewash Zimbabwe in the ongoing 3-match series. The Indian side will finish in the top half of the standings as they have six matches left.
West Indies, the two-time World Cup champions, are in seventh place with 90 points. The Caribbean side completed their allotted matches and they are in serious danger of missing out on direct qualification. Australia are in eighth position at the moment with 70 points, but they have 12 matches in hand to secure a direct World Cup berth. Ireland, Sri Lanka, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and the Netherlands are in the bottom half of the points table.
Read Sridharan Sriram to take big role in Bangladesh team
Points standings of the 2020-2023 ICC Cricket World Cup Super League (as on August 21, 2022)
Team
Matches
Won
Lost
Points
England
18
12
5
125
Bangladesh
18
12
6
120
Pakistan
18
12
6
120
New Zealand
12
11
1
110
Afghanistan
12
10
2
100
India (Q)
14
10
4
99
West Indies
24
9
15
90
Australia
12
7
5
70
Ireland
21
6
13
68
Sri Lanka
18
6
11
62
South Africa
13
4
7
49
Zimbabwe
17
3
13
35
Netherlands
19
2
16
25
Source: https://www.icc-cricket.com/cricket-world-cup-super-league/standings
Read Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan
Who among the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa have a better chance to qualify?
In the current point standings scenario, the West Indies team is most likely to miss out on direct qualification. They have no remaining matches and only a 20-point lead over the eighth-placed Australian team. The Aussie side will surely topple the Caribbean team in their upcoming fixture against Zimbabwe.
Ireland are in ninth position with 68 points, and they have three matches left against Bangladesh. Ireland must defeat Bangladesh in order to surpass the West Indies in the standings, which is highly unlikely.
However, Sri Lanka are in a better position to surpass the West Indies. They have 62 points and six matches in hand. With 60 points up for grabs, winning the remaining matches will most certainly guarantee a World Cup berth for the Lankan side.
Read FTP Cycle 2023-2027: Bangladesh National Men’s Cricket Team’s Full Fixtures
South Africa, on the other hand, have eight matches in hand and they are currently in eleventh position with only 49 points. They gave a walkover to Australia and lost thirty valuable points without playing the matches. The Proteas side can reach 129 points if they win their remaining fixtures.
It seems the West Indies are most likely to miss out on finishing in the top eight in the points table. On the other hand, Sri Lanka and South Africa will battle it out till the end to finish in the top eight to earn a place in the next World Cup.
West Indies’ remaining series: None
Sri Lanka’s remaining series: Afghanistan (3 matches), New Zealand (3 matches)
South Africa’s remaining series: England (3 matches), India (3 matches), Netherlands (2 matches).
Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament
Aftermath
The West Indies and Sri Lanka are former World Cup champions, while South Africa are one of the best teams in the world. Failing to qualify for the World Cup 2023 through direct qualification will be a major blow for top cricketing nations like the West Indies, Sri Lanka, and South Africa. Each of these three sides has a significant risk of finishing outside the top eight teams given the ICC CWC Super League's current standings.
Pakistan sweeps ODI series with 9-run win vs Netherlands
Pakistan resisted a determined chase from the Netherlands to win the third one-day international by nine runs on Sunday and sweep the series 3-0.
The visitors scored 206 in 49.4 overs before limiting the Dutch pursuit to 197 all out with four balls left.
Naseem Shah took 5-33 in 10 overs of pace for Pakistan and Mohammad Wasim got key wickets in his 4-36.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss, chose to bat first and hit 91 in 125 balls before the No. 3 was caught and bowled by spinner Aryan Dutt. Azam had seven fours and two sixes.
Netherlands pacer Bas de Leede finished with 3-50.
Read: Sridharan Sriram to take big role in Bangladesh team
In reply, Dutch opener Vikramjit Singh was caught behind off Wasim for an 85-ball 50. Singh shared a 71-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tom Cooper (62 off 105).
The Netherlands needed 56 runs off the last 10 overs with five wickets left but Cooper was finally dismissed by Wasim, leaving his team on 174-7 in the 46th. Wasim bowled Dutt to finish the match.
Pakistan had already clinched the three-match series. It won the first ODI by 16 runs and the second by seven wickets.
Sridharan Sriram to take big role in Bangladesh team
Former Indian cricketer and coach Sridharan Sriram arrived in Dhaka on Sunday. He will soon take up the role of the technical consultant of the Bangladesh T20 team this week.
After coming to Dhaka, Sridharan visited Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, and he also watched the practice match of the Bangladesh squad that would tour the UAE later this month to play the Asia Cup.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appointed Sridharan aiming to bring some changes to the T20 team that recently lost a series against Zimbabwe.
The former Indian cricketer has the experience of coaching IPL teams— Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kings XI Punjab. He will work with the Bangladesh team till the T20 World Cup which will take place later this year in Australia.
“We want him to infuse an aggressive cricketing mindset into the team,” Khaled Mahmud, the technical director of the Bangladesh team has said recently. “We won’t play any format of cricket other than T20Is until the World Cup. So this is the time to inspire the boys to play aggressive cricket.”
Read: Bangladesh A v West Indies A: ODI series ends in 1-1 draw
BCB is yet to finalize if the head coach Russell Doming stays in the same role in the Asia Cup. Nazmul Hasan, the BCB president, said last week that they are considering not sending Doming to the Asia Cup.
In that case, Sridharan may be the head coach of the Bangladesh team in the Asia Cup.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh team played an intra-squad match on Sunday where Shakib Al Hasan was the best batter scoring 36 off 24 balls while Mahedi Hasan scored 31 off 16 balls.
Taskin Ahmed, Nasum Ahmed, Shakib Al Hasan and Hasan Murad did well with the ball taking two wickets each.
Shakib led the Red Team in this match and Afif Hossain was the captain of the Green Team.
The Bangladesh team will fly to the UAE on August 23. On August 30, Bangladesh will play their first match against Afghanistan in Sharjah, and on September 1, Bangladesh will take on Sri Lanka in Dubai.
Bangladesh A v West Indies A: ODI series ends in 1-1 draw
The series deciding 3rd one-day match between touring Bangladesh A team and hosts West Indies A team was washed out due to rain at the Darren Sammy National Cricket Stadium at Gros Islet in St Lucia Saturday night.With the result, the three-match one-day series between two teams ended in 1-1 draw as both the teams won one match each. In the 3rd and series deciding match, the 2nd string West Indies team opened the innings first after winning the toss and scored a moderate total of 238 runs for the loss of nine wickets in stipulated 50 overs, featuring 60 runs by one down batsman Teddy Bishop.Besides, opener Tagenarine Chanderpaul (43), Justine Greaves (36), captain Joshua Da Silva (23), Shamar Springer (23) and Tevin Imlach (14) were the other notable scorers for the West Indies.Rejaur Rahman Raja of Bangladesh grabbed four wickets conceding 50 runs in his 10 overs spell , Mrittunjoy Chowdhury claimed two wickets for 43 runs while Rakibul Hasan and Mukidul Islam took one wicket each.
Read: Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over PakistanReplying to Caribbean modest total, Bangladesh team scored 61 for 3 in 15.4 overs before the match was washed out due to rain. Earlier, Bangladesh A team faced initial batting collapse losing two wickets --Mohammad Naim (3), Saif Hasan (2) -- for only seven runs in in two overs, but opener Soumya Sarkar pairing with captain and two down batsman Mohammad Mithun repaired the early damage contributing 51 runs in the 3rd wicket stand.Soumya Sarkar contributed the team highest and unbeaten 30 runs off 45 balls hitting four boundaries while Mohammad Mithun made 41-ball 20 runs with the help of one four and a six. New batsman Shahadat Hossain remained not out on one run.Shermon Lewis captured two wickets for 18 runs in his three over spell.
Asia Cup Cricket: India holds historical edge over Pakistan
The cricket rivalry between India and Pakistan is one of the most fascinating and intense in the world. India and Pakistan have met many times against each other, and the latter has the best head-to-head record overall. However, India holds a slight advantage over Pakistan in the Asia Cup cricket. Let's take a deeper look at the history of the Asia Cup between India and Pakistan ahead of the fifteenth edition of the event in the United Arab Emirates.
Pakistan and India's overall performances in the men's Asia Cup cricket competition
India has won the most events in the Asia Cup competition—seven in all. In contrast, Pakistan has only triumphed in two tournaments. Their most recent title came in 2012, when they defeated Bangladesh in the championship game by just two runs.
India
India first won an Asia Cup trophy in the inaugural edition of the competition in 1984. They are the reigning champions of the tournament. Overall, India has reached ten finals out of thirteen, which indicates how dominating they are in this particular tournament. They chose not to participate in the 1986 Asia Cup due to their tense cricketing relations with the tournament's host Sri Lanka. Additionally, the Indian team triumphed in the maiden Twenty20-format Asia Cup in 2016.
Read Asia Cup 2022: 12 Key Players to Watch in the Tournament
India's men's cricket team has won 31 of the 49 games it has played in the Asia Cup's ODI format, for a winning percentage of 65.62. In the tournament's Twenty20 format, India has won five of the five games.
India’s overall results in the Asia Cup
Year
Host
Results
1984
UAE
Champions
1986
Sri Lanka
DNP
1988
Bangladesh
Champions
1990/1991
India
Champions
1995
UAE
Champions
1997
Sri Lanka
Runner-Up
2000
Bangladesh
Third
2004
Sri Lanka
Runner-Up
2008
Pakistan
Runner-Up
2010
Sri Lanka
Champions
2012
Bangladesh
Third
2014
Bangladesh
Third
2016
Bangladesh
Champions
2018
UAE
Champions
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup
Read Shakib Al Hasan: Expectations from Bangladesh’s T20 captain in Asia Cup 2022
Pakistan
Pakistan first won an Asia Cup trophy in the seventh edition in 2000 in Bangladesh. They beat Sri Lanka in the final by 39 runs to clinch their maiden Asia Cup men’s cricket trophy. Twelve years later, in Bangladesh, they won their second trophy at the Asian Cup of cricket. Surprisingly, Pakistan's national team has played only four finals and they haven’t reached a championship match since 2016. Due to tense political ties with the host India, Pakistan opted not to participate in the 1990–1991 edition of the competition.
With a winning percentage of 59.09, Pakistan's men's cricket team has won 26 of the 45 games it has played in the Asia Cup's ODI format. They have won two out of four games in the Twenty20 format of the tournament.
Pakistan’s overall results in the Asia Cup
Year
Host
Results
1984
UAE
Third
1986
Sri Lanka
Runner-Up
1988
Bangladesh
Third
1990/1991
India
DNP
1995
UAE
Third
1997
Sri Lanka
Third
2000
Bangladesh
Champions
2004
Sri Lanka
Third
2008
Pakistan
Third
2010
Sri Lanka
Third
2012
Bangladesh
Champions
2014
Bangladesh
Runner-Up
2016
Bangladesh
Third
2018
UAE
Third
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup
Read Asia Cup 2022: SWOT Analysis of Bangladesh National Men’s T20 Cricket Squad
Asia Cup: Head-to-Head Record between India and Pakistan
Every time Pakistan and India play in a cricket match, it is a euphoric and tense occasion for the supporters of the two sides. The Pakistan national men’s cricket team has the edge over India in the overall head-to-head battle across all formats with 87 wins. However, India’s national men’s cricket team has held the advantage in Asia Cup events.
Two teams have faced each other fourteen times in this particular competition over the years. India has led the head-to-head contest with eight wins. Oppositely, Pakistan has five wins and one game had no result. In addition, India and Pakistan have never faced off in an Asia Cup final despite being the two biggest cricketing nations in the subcontinent.
Asia Cup records between Pakistan and India
Match Date
Venue
Result
13 April, 1984
Sharjah
India won by 54 runs
31 October, 1988
Dhaka
India won by 4 wickets
7 April, 1995
Sharjah
Pakistan won by 97 runs
20 July, 1997
Colombo
No Result
3 June, 2000
Dhaka
Pakistan won by 44 runs
25 July, 2004
Colombo
Pakistan won by 59 runs
26 June, 2008
Karachi
India won by 6 wickets
2 July, 2008
Karachi
Pakistan won by 8 wickets
19 June, 2010
Dambulla
India won by 3 wickets
18 March, 2012
Dhaka
India won by 6 wickets
2 March, 2014
Dhaka
Pakistan won by 1 wicket
27 February, 2016
Dhaka
India won by 5 wickets
19 September, 2018
Dubai
India won by 8 wickets
23 September, 2018
Dubai
India won by 9 wickets
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asia_Cup
Read Asia Cup 2022: Who are favourites to lift the trophy?
How many times could India and Pakistan meet in the Asia Cup 2022?
The group phase of the Asia Cup 2022 will begin on August 27 (Saturday). The competition consists of two groups, each with three teams. In Group A, Pakistan and India will compete. The third team in Group A will be the qualifier winner. Each group's top two teams will proceed to the Super Four phase. India and Pakistan's prospects of moving on from their group are merely formalities since the qualifier winner will be decided by the ICC associate nations of the Asian region.
If Pakistan and India advance from Group A, they will play each other once again in the Super Four phase. The Super Four round's top two teams will be guaranteed a spot in the championship game. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka's Twenty20 teams are currently not in excellent form. None of these three teams are considered to have a strong chance of winning the competition. As a result, there is a good chance that India and Pakistan will face off three times during the main event.
Cricket fans would be enthralled by the prospect of watching the Asia Cup 2022 final between Pakistan and India. If that occurs, this will be the first time in the tournament's history that these two countries have faced off in a final.
Read T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib
The dates on which India and Pakistan could meet in the Asia Cup 2022
Date: 28 August, 2022 | Group A match
Date: 4 September, 2022 | Super Four match (if qualify)
Date: 11 September, 2022 | Final (if qualify).
Which players would likely be seen in India and Pakistan’s playing XI?
India and Pakistan both have some of the top Twenty20 players in their respective squads. The recent T20 performances of both teams have also been very impressive. Pakistan hasn't participated in a lot of T20I series following the T20 World Cup in 2021. After the major event, they defeated Bangladesh and the West Indies in all six of their games. Pakistan played just one T20 match this year. In April, they fell short against Australia in that T20 match. In that sense, the Pakistan Twenty20 team may find it difficult early in the 2022 Asia Cup competition. India can take advantage of this as they will play Pakistan in their opening encounter.
India will enter the Asia Cup competition in excellent form, having won sixteen of their twenty-one games this year. They have won five bilateral series, while one with South Africa ended in a draw. The players who weren't picked are talented enough to be on the Indian team, so the selectors must have had a difficult time finalizing the squad. Here are the players from both sides who can make it into their respective playing XI.
Read Meet Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh national cricket team’s new T20 technical consultant
India’s predicted playing XI
Top-Order: Rohit Sharma (captain), KL Rahul (vice-captain), Virat Kohli,
Middle-Order: Suryakumar Yadav, Rishabh Pant (wicket-keeper), Hardik Pandya, Ravindra Jadeja, Ravi Ashwin,
Lower-Order: Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Pakistan’s predicted playing XI
Top-Order: Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Fakhar Zaman,
Middle-Order: Asif Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Haider Ali, Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Mohammad Nawaz,
Lower-Order: Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani
Aftermath
India will be the overwhelming favourite to win the 2022 Asia Cup cricket due to their recent Twenty20 form and success over Pakistan in the tournament. India will enter the upcoming competition with a lot of confidence since Rohit Sharma is yet to lose a Twenty20 series after being named the team's permanent captain earlier this year.
Read Pakistan’s Afridi to miss T20 Asia Cup and England series
Pakistan, on the other hand, has lost its last three Asia Cup matches against India and will be driven to turn things around. Pakistan, the ICC's third-ranked Twenty20 side right now, stands a decent chance of overcoming India and taking home the championship. So far we have discussed how did India prevail over Pakistan in the previous Asia Cup Cricket tournaments. Now its time to see how can Pakistan prevent India from capturing their eighth Asia Cup title?
India beats Zimbabwe by 5 wickets to win ODI series
Using barely half its allotted overs, India beat Zimbabwe by five wickets to win their three-match one-day international cricket series with a game to spare.
India scored 167-5 in 25.4 overs at Harare Sports Club in reply to Zimbabwe's 161 all out in 38.1 overs after winning the toss and bowlng first on Saturday.
Seamer Shardul Thakur took 3-38 and helped reduce the hosts to 31-4 in the 13th over before Sean Williams (42) and Ryan Burl (39 not out) staged a middle order rally for Zimbabwe.
Read:Pakistan’s Afridi to miss T20 Asia Cup and England series
In reply India lost skipper KL Rahul in the seond over for one, before veteran opener Shikhar Dhawan and Shubman Gill both scored 33.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson made a quickfire 43 not out off 39 balls, including three fours and four sixes. He hit the winning six as the visitors reached the target with 146 balls to spare.
India has a 2-0 insurmountable lead in the three-match series after winning the opener by 10 wickets.
The third ODI is on Monday at the same venue.
T20s: Need to be like a baby learning to walk, says Shakib
Bangladesh T20 captain Shakib Al Hasan Saturday said Bangladesh now need to be like a baby learning to walk, take one step at a time, and then move forward in the shorter format of the game.
The Tigers are now preparing for the Asia Cup, starting on August 27 in the UAE. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) already announced a squad for the event.
Led by Shakib, Bangladesh will take on Afghanistan and Sri Lanka in the initial phase of the tournament.
"We played our first T20 in 2006. Since then, we could not do well in this format. We only made it to the final of the Asia Cup once," Shakib said.
Read: Meet Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh national cricket team’s new T20 technical consultant
The BCB appointed Sridharan Sriram, a former Indian cricketer, as the Tigers' T20 technical consultant. He will work with the Bangladesh team until the T20 World Cup.
However, Shakib said he is not expecting Sriram to do miracles overnight.
Meet Sridharan Sriram: Bangladesh national cricket team’s new T20 technical consultant
The former Australian national team’s spin bowling coach, who was also a part of IPL team Royal Challengers Bangalore’s coaching panel, Sridharan Sriram, has been appointed as technical consultant for the T20 format by the BCB. The BCB president stated that this Indian coach will serve in that position for Bangladesh's national T20 team till the Twenty20 World Cup 2022. Though Sriram may not be a household name among cricket fans, his coaching career has seen considerable success. Let's explore Sridharan Sriram's coaching and cricketing career at the international level.
Profile of Sridharan Sriram's Cricket Career
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is determined to bring fresh faces to the coaching panel for the T20 format. They have appointed India’s Sridharan Sriram as a technical consultant for the Tigers Twenty20 side.
Read: South Africa out for 326, leads England by 161 in 1st Test
Russell Domingo's position as the team's head coach is threatened with the appointment of Sriram. However, the BCB president did confirm that Domingo should focus more on the ODI and Test formats. Domingo's participation in the Bangladesh team's trip to the Asia Cup 2022 would probably be determined following the meeting with everyone on August 22, according to BCB president Nazmul Hasan Papon. Here are some of Sridharan Sriram's noteworthy accomplishments, both as a player and a coach.
International Career
Sridharan Sriram was born in Tamil Nadu, Chennai, India on February 21st, 1976. He made his first-class debut for Tamil Nadu in the 1993/1994 season. He earned his international debut for India against South Africa in an ODI match in 2000 following a stellar season in the Ranji Trophy.
Sridharan Sriram had struggled to become a consistent player for the Indian national team. Sriram’s only international half-century (57) came against Bangladesh in his last match for India in 2004. Overall, Sriram appeared in 8 ODIs and made 81 runs in 7 innings. In bowling, he picked up 9 wickets and his best bowling figure was 3/43.
Sridharan Sriram’s International cricket career stats
Match
Runs
HS
Wickets
BBI
8
81
57
9
3/43
Source: https://www.espncricinfo.com/
Coaching Career
Sridharan Sriram was appointed as a coaching consultant for the Australian national men’s cricket team’s tour of Bangladesh in 2017. Before that, he worked with Australia's A squad that toured India in 2015. Sriram was part of Australia’s coaching team during the 2018 4-match Test series against India and the 2019 Ashes Series in England.
Read: FTP Cycle 2023-2027: Bangladesh National Men’s Cricket Team’s Full Fixtures
Apart from the Australian national side, Sriram also worked with an IPL team, Royal Challengers Bangalore. He was Bangalore’s batting and spin bowling coach in the 2020 IPL season.
What can Bangladesh expect from Sridharan Sriram?
The 2022 T20 World Cup will be held in Australia, a completely unfamiliar condition for most of the Bangladesh players. The cricketers need someone who has good coaching experience in the Australian territory.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board made the right decision in hiring Sriram. The BCB’s new T20 technical consultant has plenty of experience through his involvement as a coach with Australia’s national side over the years. He can assist players in quickly adjusting to the Australian conditions in preparation for the upcoming 2022 World Cup. In addition, spinners may learn from him how to bowl well in that region.
The Bangladesh players will benefit from Sridharan Sriram's IPL 2020 experience in the UAE by learning valuable lessons from him in preparation for the Asia Cup 2022. Overall, he can help batters bat more productively in the T20 format, and spinners can learn some important lessons that can help them succeed in the upcoming two major competitions.
Bottom Line
Each of the three cricket formats has a certain mindset required for success at the international level. After working with the Australian national team and Royal Challengers Bangalore, Sriram is cognizant of what it takes for a player to be successful in the game's shortest format. Sridharan Sriram can thus provide Bangladesh's players some insightful guidance.