Asia Cup 2023 - Five Things We've Learnt

With the ODI world cup fast approaching, and being hosted in the sub-continent, one can't help but feel that this year's Asia cup was a precursor of what to expect and performances to anticipate from the Asian nations.

Without further adue, here are five things we've learnt from the Asia Cup 2023 tournament.

1. India are finally clicking

If their Asia cup performances are to go by, India will obviously be red hot favorites to win the upcoming ODI world cup, especially considering that they are the hosts.

Don't get it twisted, India are always among favorites going into any competition but there was just something different about the team this time around.

Over recent years, India have been favorites because of the individual quality of the players they possess but this time around they are favorites because they are functioning more like an efficient unit. 

Let me explain...

India has always been star-studded, no doubt, but over the past few years it's always been an individual player, or two, that has dragged them over the line whilst the other stars tended to misfire. 

One can think of Suryakumar Yadav in the last T20 world cup, Virat Kohli in the recent past, and also a stint where Jasprit Bumrah was just unplayable.

This time around they just look like a complete functioning team. The bowling unit is just sharp and the batting line up is equally competent. Every team member is pulling his weight and their performances have been like clockwork, just a well oiled machine.

2. Sri Lankan spin

Going back to the ICC ODI world cup qualifiers in Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka's spin have just been an irresistible force. Spin literally won the qualifier tournament for Sri Lanka and that performance carried onto the Asia cup.

With the world cup being hosted in a 'spin friendly' country it would be of no surprise if Sri Lanka find themselves contending for a top four spot with the big guns. They are definitely looking like a dark horse candidate.

Of concern is their batting. Even during the world cup qualifiers, they crossed the line on every occasion only because their bowling was just blowing everyone else out of the water. Batting-wise there was nothing to write about.

Of course, Kusal Mendis has been in fine form and there have been some shades of brilliance along their batting order but their team effort has been nothing above average.

Against the good teams, like India showed them twice, you need more than just a good bowling line up to cross the line.

3. Tough time for Afghanistan?

Afghanistan have over the years shown themselves to be an exciting young team capable turning over any team on their day.

They possess an exciting spin bowling attack. However, one can't help but feel they may struggle against other Asian nations during the world cup.

For starters, they lost their Asia cup preceding series 3 - 0 to Pakistan. Furthermore, they have never beaten Pakistan in the ODI format. 

Then during the Asia cup they were knocked out in the first stage, with both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh seemingly capable of executing their plan against the Afghan spin.

What do Afghanistan need?

They'll definitely need their batting line up to fire. They'll need to create scoreboard pressure for their spin to reap maximum rewards.

But Afghan batting over the past years has been a mixed bag. It's hard to predict what you'll get. 

Fortunately, they do have the talent within their ranks to post big scores. If that happens, they'll be a handful for anyone.

4. All-round Pakistan

Pakistan's success has been built around team effort. They are undoubtedly one of the best team units in the world. Of course they have stars in their line up but it's the balance within the team that they shine at.

 

Putting aside the loss to India where they were just blown out of the water by the Indian top order, Pakistan just look like a side with good balance from bat to bowl.

They've also shown to possess a team with excellent players of spin, and I expect Pakistan to come into their own in the latter parts of the ODI world cup. 

Hopefully, for them, they avoid an early wobble in the first few games that might negatively affect their points tally at the end of the first stage of the tournament.

5. BanglaBat

Bangladesh have taken huge strides in their cricketing efforts over the last decade, and without a doubt the ODI format is one they've grabbed attention with the most.

 

In T20 they seemed to lack the big hitters in their middle to lower order, which explains why they thrived in low-scoring pitches but struggled on flatter high-scoring pitches.

In test cricket they just seemed to lack the experience against big test nations. 

In ODI cricket, however, they just seem to find their balance. It's not too fast-paced and it's not as draining as test match cricket.

ODI cricket suits the team Bangladesh have but the onus will be on their batting. 

They have a decent bowling line up with good pace and spin options but it's still not the most intimidating line up. It's a bowling attack that provides great dividends when given something to work with.

Like Afghanistan, Bangladesh will need their batsmen to wake up for the party if they are to make great strides in the coming tournament.

If the pitches in India take to spin early in the tournament and we have a low-scoring tournament, expect Bangladesh to claim a few big scalps.