Players auditioning for a World Cup spot

The last few years have seen the Asia Cup being used as a precursor to the World Cup, and this edition will be no different. For several players, the tournament in Pakistan and Sri Lanka will act as a means to secure a ticket to India in October. Let's look at some of the players for whom the Asia Cup could be a way to represent their nation in the World Cup.

Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna

For the World Cup hosts, a spate of injuries have forced them to look at their bench for answers. The arrival of Jasprit Bumrah all but seals a bowling spot. And Mohammed Siraj’s resurgence means that he is a sure-shot starter. Add the availability of pace all-rounders Hardik Pandya and Shardul Thakur to that, and we will most likely see a direct shootout between Mohammad Shami and Prasidh Krishna.

Prasidh made a more-than-decent comeback to international cricket in the series against Ireland, and Shami will have his task cut out for him in the Asia Cup. The Karnataka pacer - known to extract extra bounce - clocked north of 140 consistently and seemed to be in good rhythm with the new ball. 

While Bumrah and Siraj have the ability to bowl across phases, Prasidh and Shami are predominantly new ball bowlers with not a lot of value add in the middle or the backend. Both being unidimensional warrants atleast one of them to be excluded from the squad. 

Agha Ali Salman and Saud Shakeel

Pakistan are finally entering a global tournament with a fairly settled unit - something that we have seen often enough with them. They have Fakhar Zaman and Imam ul Haq at the top - and Babar, Rizwan, and Iftikhar to follow at #6. It is at #5 that they will have to take a call on who to play.

Agha Ali Salman has been effective in the middle-order for Pakistan - an average of 44 and a strike rate in excess of 100 is testament to that. Apart from that, he also offers a few overs of spin with the ball. The latter can be used to leverage the spin-friendly conditions in the Indian subcontinent.

Saud Shakeel a.k.a Pakistan’s Bradman makes a late entry into the squad as Tayyab Tahir’s replacement. Given his recent form, and the fact that the Pakistani think tank will want to break the RHB monotony in the middle-order, Saud’s left-handedness could just work out.

Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, or Usama Mir 

Outside #5, the only other vacant spot is #8. Shadab Khan will bat at #7, and Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Shaheen Afridi will fill up the final three spots.

At #8, Pakistan have an abundance of all-rounders to look at. Further, what works in their favor is the fact that they have all-rounders with different bowling suits to choose from. Faheem Ashraf bowls medium pace, Mohammad Nawaz is a slow left-armer, and Usama Mir a leg spinner. 

In conditions like Bangalore and Mumbai, where they might feel the need to go in with an extra pace option - Faheem would offer just that without compromising on batting quality. When brought in to the XI in the Afghanistan series, he straightaway showed his ability with the new ball picking up two wickets within the first 10 overs. 

Mohammad Nawaz, the most experienced amongst the three players, will definitely make it to the squad. ‘Matchup’ being the buzzword these days, it won’t be entirely surprising to see him being used against an RHB heavy lineup. 

Usama has been Pakistan’s go-to-option in the recent past. Since making his debut, he’s featured in every ODI barring the last match in the Afghanistan series, where they decided to give Faheem Ashraf some game time ahead of the Asia Cup. Along with Shadab, both the wristspinners will form a more than potent spin duo in the World Cup. 

While the above names still stand a chance of playing in the Asia Cup, there are a few names who, despite being contenders for a World Cup spot, might not get enough chances to prove themselves. 

Noor Ahmad for Afghanistan will find it hard to make much of an impression in the Asia Cup as they already have three spinners in Mohammed Nabi, Mujeeb Ur Rehman, and Rashid Khan amidst their ranks. 

Similarly, Bangladesh have a packed pace attack in Mustafizur Rahman, Shoriful Islam, and Taskin Ahmed. On top of that, they have an experienced backup option. All of this means only one thing. Hasan Mahmud will most likely not play a part in the Asia Cup. 

Lastly, Tilak Varma for India will also be a failsafe option, who should ideally end the Asia Cup without playing a game. However, the fact that Shreyas Iyer hasn’t had the greatest of track records against injuries could probably fast track him into the XI as a like-for-like replacement.