In less than 24 hours, one of the biggest continental extravaganzas will be unfolding ahead of us as Asia Cup 2022 kicks off in all its glory with a swashbuckling contest between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan. The tournament was initially slated to be in Sri Lanka but later due to the ongoing political unrest in the nation, it was forced to be shifted to UAE for the safety of the players.
The tournament will be starring a string of impressive encounters that would witness India and Pakistan taking the yard on the second day of the tournament while Sri Lanka and Bangladesh would be the two other teams to watch out for. Here is a quick ranking of the captains of the six teams who will be heading their respective contingents into the glorious blockbuster.
#6 Nizakhat Khan – Hong Kong
Hong Kong pulled off a brilliant showdown after surpassing the likes of UAE, Kuwait and Singapore to make it to the league of the big six in the continent. One of their crucial elements in the qualifiers leading the entire outfit was Nizakhat Khan, their skipper.
Despite a duck against Singapore, he came back strongly against Kuwait with a simmering half-century and a fine 39 against UAE to sail Hong Kong hammer and tongs to the extravaganza.
#5 Mohammad Nabi – Afghanistan
El Presidente’s recent form with the willow for the Afghans hasn’t been extraordinary as he has stuttered to get the momentum going. However, he has put up a fine show with the ball in his arms.
Despite commanding figures as the leading spinner for his country, it won’t be an easy job for the big man to rally the Afghan forces. The team would need some exceptional leadership to be driven as a unit, especially with varying interests and skill sets.
#4 Dasun Shanaka
Dasun Shanaka has shown promise in recent times in both departments and will be an impactful figure for Sri Lanka. However, the nation has missed out on quite a few opportunities and is building a team for the future.
When it comes to captaincy, Shanaka somehow lacks the control that you usually expect from a commander, especially in troubling circumstances. The Lankans have shown decent form in their backyard but away from home, the team has felt terribly disoriented. Shanaka will have to change the numbers and will need a word of command if he has to make the miracles happen.
#3 Shakib al Hasan
Shakib al Hasan is one of the most experienced campaigners for Bangladesh and is expected to produce absolute rippers for the Men in Green and Red.
However, Bangladesh’s recent loss to Zimbabwe will be posing too many questions for the entire outfit and it will need a lot more than just leadership and skill to bring the team back on the right track. However, given Hasan’s preceding caliber, he can make wonders happen.
#2 Babar Azam
Even though Babar Azam is still to show some terrific display as the skipper but his stature as a batter precedes him and will obviously be leading the Men in Green from the front on the strength of his willow.
The right-handed batter can bring about significant changes to the scorecard and impact the game in a brutal manner if he gets going.
Pick One……?#RohitSharma & #BabarAzam𓃵#INDvPAK
Retweet ❤️Like pic.twitter.com/1hwniqDey1
— Nazaket Rather (@RatherNazaket) August 23, 2022
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#1 Rohit Sharma
Not only with the bat but Rohit Sharma’s numbers as India’s skipper has been overwhelming and he undoubtedly leads the lines of the captains in the continental extravaganza.
India has also been in phenomenal form and Rohit has a wide array of options both in the batting and bowling departments. As India starts their campaign against Pakistan, Rohit will be hoping to get the runs flowing from his bat.
Photoshoot of Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma ahead of the Asia Cup 2022. pic.twitter.com/NiJmcuPHsD
— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) August 26, 2022
