Colombo? Dambulla? Or is it going to be Hambantota? For the last few days, fans and journalists have been in a state of bewilderment over what could be the venue for Super 4 games of Asia Cup 2023. For now, Colombo stays as the venue for the Super 4 matches but looking at the turn of events over the last few days, it is hard to predict the future. Here’s a lowdown on the four teams that have progressed to the next round.
Sri Lanka:
The co-hosts got out of jail in the game against Afghanistan. Mohammad Nabi cracked a whirlwind 32-ball 65 while Hashmatullah Shahid finished with 59. As per NRR, Afghanistan needed 291 off 37.1 overs. So, when Mujeeb Ur Rahman was dismissed after 37.1 overs, Afghanistan thought their chances of qualifying were over. However, the calculations of NRR are such that they could have still entered the next round, provided they levelled the score and hit a boundary by 37.4 overs. Or a six by 38.1 overs.
Fazalhaq Farooqi, the last man, didn’t know that as he blocked a couple of deliveries, and eventually was dismissed while looking to defend. Meanwhile, the injury-hit Sri Lanka would be pleased that they have made their way out of the group of death. In the opening game, Matheesha Pathirana stepped up by extracting some awkward bounce, alongside varying his pace. In the second game, the tall Kasun Rajitha made crucial incisions at the top. Although Maheesh Theekshana was expensive against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka would believe on the sluggish wickets of the Premadasa, he would have a key role to play.
Among the batters, Charith Asalanka and Kusal Mendis have cracked fifties. More importantly, Sri Lanka would play their Super 4 games at a venue where they have loads of experience of the conditions. So, the home side would have an eye on reaching the summit clash.
India:
India’s mouth-watering clash against Pakistan at the Pallekele Stadium was washed out. But the Rohit Sharma-led side looked all set to qualify as the other team in their group was Nepal. Although India put on a patchy performance in the field – dropped catches and misfields, Rohit and Shubman Gill powered India home to a 10-wicket win.
In that game, it also felt as if there was a bit of sameness in the pace attack, in relation to release points and trajectory of Mohammed Shami, Mohammed Siraj and Shardul Thakur. With Jasprit Bumrah set to return for the Super 4s, it would add heft and variety to the pace department. On slow and tacky wickets of Premadasa, Ravindra Jadeja and Kuldeep Yadav could turn out to be a potent spin-bowling combination. On the batting side of things, Hardik Pandya and Ishan Kishan’s crucial alliance versus Pakistan would have heartened the think-tank.
Ahead of the Super 4s, India do have a selection conundrum. With KL Rahul returning to the set-up, would that result in Kishan being left out? Kishan isn’t just in form but also a left-handed batter. So, he could disrupt the lengths of certain bowlers. Logic says India should continue with Kishan.
Pakistan:
The best part of the current Pakistan set-up is they seem to be playing collectively. Even in the game against Nepal, one could see that Pakistan didn’t take their opponent lightly. The fast bowlers bowled with a good burst of pace and also found movement. Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf then combined to pick up all 10 wickets versus India.
Afridi, in particular, looked lethal against India – extracting appreciable seam movement. Virat Kohli’s quizzical look to a delivery that moved away off the pitch by a considerable margin and beat Rohit on the outside edge exemplified Afridi’s ability to find seam movement. It would be interesting to see how the fast bowler would bowl at Premadasa. Recently, in a bilateral series against Afghanistan, Afridi seemed to have gauged the conditions at that ground and bowled incisively under lights.
Meanwhile, the batting unit is yet to be tested. Yes, Pakistan have good depth lower down the order, but the middle order looks a bit suspect. Fakhar Zaman, the opener, hasn’t been among the runs in his last eight matches. So, under pressure, Pakistan’s batting line-up might find itself on a bit of a precipice.
Bangladesh:
The Shakib Al Hasan-led side started on a disastrous note, losing their opening fixture to Sri Lanka by five wickets. Just three days later, they bounced back with a crushing 89-run win over Afghanistan. The move to send Mehidy Hasan Miraz to bat at the top of the order instead of the inexperienced Tanzid Hasan worked wonders for Bangladesh, as the utility cricketer cracked his second ODI ton. Najmul Shanto also scored a hundred in that game.
The likes of Shakib Al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim and the injured Tamim Iqbal are at the fag end of their respective careers. So, the younger lot – Tanzid, Towhid Hridoy, Shanto and co., have to take over the mantle. The silver lining for Bangladesh is, perhaps for the first time in their cricketing history, they have good pace bowling resources. Taskin Ahmed is currently the second highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Shoriful Islam, the left-armer, can bowl at waspish pace.
The depth in the Bangladesh set-up can be encapsulated by the point that despite Ebadot Hossain being ruled out with a knee injury, the experienced Mustafizur Rahman couldn’t find a place in the Playing XI versus Afghanistan.