BATTING ANALYSIS
Follow UsIn this piece we assess how every Asia Cup 2023 side fares in each batting department and what they will be looking to takeaway from this tournament from a World Cup view.
*All data is from ODI cricket since 2022 unless mentioned otherwise
Top-order (batting position #1 - #3)
In terms of pure numbers, Pakistan have the best batting average by distance for the top three batters. Not just in Asia, their average of 53.9 is the best worldwide in this time period.
One can argue they have batted mostly on the placid tracks at home. Pakistan have played 14 of their 17 ODIs at home and the other three were against the Netherlands. However, to their credit, Pakistan have used the least number of batters in their top three among all their participants in the Asia Cup - only five. Each of Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam average above 50, hinting at top-order stability.
In comparison, India have used 11 batters in their top order due to injuries and other reasons. Their top three is sorted - Rohit Sharma, Shubman Gill and Virat Kohli - but gone are the days when India’s top-order would win the match on its own.
The average of 46.3 since 2022 is also dominated by Gill who has scored 659 runs more than the next best in India’s top three. Having said that, no other team has more experience at the top than India, courtesy Rohit and Kohli. India also have the quickest scoring top-order - a strike-rate of 96.7.
Moving to Sri Lanka, they average 40.8 at a strike-rate of 86.3. These are decent numbers but heavily influenced by big performances against smaller nations. Nine of their 27 ODIs since 2022 have come against teams that have not qualified for the 2023 ODI World Cup.
While Kusal Mendis at three is a mercurial batter and the other opener is still a game of musical chairs, Pathum Nissanka will be playing a key role for Sri Lanka in this Asia Cup. Since 2022, Nissanka averages 53.6 in ODIs, striking at 87.5.
Bangladesh’s top three average only 34 and in the absence of Tamim Iqbal, they will be light on experience. Litton Das will be carrying the top-order responsibilities given he will have Mohammad Naim and Nazmul Shanto (31 ODIs in total) around him.
Afghanistan have a dodgy batting line-up and hence, the task of their top-order is cut out despite an impressive top-order average. Nepal are last on the list and don’t have any regular top order batter averaging even in mid 30s.
Middle-order (batting position #4 - #6)
If India hold the most experienced top-order, Bangladesh attain the same tag when we talk about the middle-order. They are in fact the most sorted team in this department. Alongside Shakib Al Hasan and Mushfiqur Rahim, Bangladesh have the promising Afif Hossain and Towhid Hridoy. That is four names underlined for three spots, despite Mahmudullah’s (218 ODIs for Bangladesh) exclusion.
The other major sides have some significant takeaways from the World Cup lens. India will be assessing the fitness of Shreyas Iyer and KL Rahul with their fingers crossed. Pakistan are uncertain about two spots following Mohammad Rizwan at number four. Similarly, Sri Lanka have to decide between the experienced Angelo Mathews or the youngsters who took part in the World Cup Qualifiers (they are yet to announce the squad). Afghanistan have the second lowest batting average on this criterion.
Bangladesh is the only side with a well-shaped middle-order and would like to press this advantage to the optimum. Nepal will bank on Rohit Paudel, Bhim Sharki and Kushal Malla.
Also, playing spin would be vital for these middle-orders. India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka have the best batting averages on this ground. However, let's not get fooled by the numbers which paint only one side of the story. India, averaging 52.1 here, have also faltered many times on sluggish pitches.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh average only 36 on this graph which is a good number in correlation with low batting returns on their home tracks against spin since 2022. They have consistently fared better against spin than their opponents series after series.
Finishers
India are well ahead of their Asian counterparts in the last 10 overs, especially in terms of the run-rate. But there is a caveat here also. The Indian batters with the highest strike-rate in this phase are from the top-order - Kohli (203.3) and Gill (188.7). They can wreak havoc if they make it to the back end of the innings.
But what about those assigned to do the job, ie, Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja here?
Since 2022, Jadeja has played only eight ODI innings, scoring 149 runs at a strike-rate of 59.8. India’s designated finisher for the Asia Cup and the World Cup, the southpaw has not stepped into the role for a couple of years now.
Pandya at six has turned himself into a grafter. His first 15 balls strike-rate in ODIs has dropped to 74.6 in 2023 as compared to 132.2 in 2021/22. That is a massive difference.
Pakistan seem to be relying mainly on Shadab Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed for this role. Interestingly, none of their four batters to score over 100 runs in this phase has a strike-rate touching 140 or more.
As the scatter plot above suggests, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan have scope for improvement in this trait.
Batting Depth (batting positions #7 - #11)
With the World Cup inching closer, every team is talking about batting depth. Every side in this Asia Cup has zeroed in on their bowling all-rounder’s slot. It is the one facet where Nepal have outdone their Asian counterparts.
Pakistan are placed midway on the table but the likes of Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi have shown the knack of contributing enough with the bat when required. Two spin-bowling all-rounders in Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz/Usama Mir increase their batting depth to number 10.
Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and India will rely on their number eight, beyond which their batting takes a nosedive. Bangladesh will have the best number eight batter in the competition to follow their strong middle-order. Mehidy Hasan has 350 runs batting at this spot since 2022, nearly 200 runs more than the next best. He averages 43.8 in this period with a hundred to his name.
If Hasan is the best, then Wanindu Hasaranga is also one of the better number eights. However, he could be unavailable for most part of the tournament nursing an injury.
India have another interesting case here. Considering they will be playing three frontline seamers on most occasions, they will be the only side to compromise on bowling quality to ensure batting at eight. One of Prasidh Krishna or Mohammed Shami will have to make way for Shardul Thakur in that case.
Thakur, an enigma in himself, has an economy of 6.2 - the worst for any bowler with more than 50 ODI wickets. Given there is no other seam bowling option to provide batting at eight, the team seems to have made up their mind to absorb his high economy rate with their more impactful bowlers.
India can also play Axar at eight on spin-friendly tracks. In any case, the batting quality suffers post number eight.
RHB-LHB combo
Another intricate aspect of an ideal batting line-up. And India falter in this department given their top six batters are all right-handers. It is a big reason why India have been prone to left-arm spinners on slower tracks.
Pakistan have added Saud Shakeel to their Asia Cup roaster, yielding them a left-hander in the middle alongside Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq at the top. Charith Asalanka’s form will hold key for Sri Lanka as the only left-hander in their middle-order. Skipper Hashmatullah Shahidi could be the sole left-hander in Afghanistan’s XI.
Bangladesh have the most ideal distribution of left-handers - Mohammad Naim in the top-order, Shakib in the middle and Afif Hossain in the lower middle-order. Inexplicably, they have the second lowest average for left-handers in ODIs since 2022 - 26.1. If they get over that grim number, Bangladesh are well placed to maximize the LHB-RHB dynamics in their favor.
To sum it up
No team has all bases covered. Pakistan and Bangladesh tick most boxes. Sri Lanka don’t tick any. India have limitations in every department, getting a moderate rating in most facets but remain the title contenders in this competition. Afghanistan have poor numbers, barring their top order. Nepal have shown progress but the other teams are simply better with more experience.
*Sri Lanka were yet to announce the squad at the time of publication
