Asia Cup 2018: 5 Key Players for Bangladesh

The 14th edition of the Asia Cup is scheduled to begin on 15th of this month. The tournament will be played in the ODI format this time with the 50-over World Cup scheduled to be held next year. It is to be noted that the previous tournament in 2016 was played in the T20 format ahead of the then World T20.

As far as the history of this tournament is concerned, India has been the most successful team winning the trophy six times, most by any team.

But, if we look at the last three editions, it is Bangladeshi team which has performed outstandingly given their rankings.

They have made it to the finals two out of three times in the presence of teams like India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. In 2012, they came closest to winning the trophy when they lost to Pakistan in final by only 2 runs. In the last edition too, they beat Sri Lanka and Pakistan in group stage matches and reached the final.

Bangladesh team will be riding high on confidence after their outstanding performance against Windies in the last month.

They won the ODI as well as the T20 series there. They will be happy to carry forward the form into this tournament.

Bangladesh will start their campaign against Sri Lanka which also happens to be the inaugural match of the 14-day long tournament.

Here, in this article, we will take a look at the five key players for Bangladesh whose performances will decide the team's fortune in the tournament.

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#1 Tamim Iqbal

A prolific run-scorer, Tamim Iqbal is arguably the greatest batsman Bangladesh has ever produced. He is the first and the only Bangladeshi player to have scored more than ten thousand international runs.

He has been playing for his team for almost a decade and is one of the most experienced players in the side. Much of Bangladesh's success in the recent years can be credited to his aggressive ways of batting at the top of the order.

By giving a solid start as an opening batsman, he has helped his team to score a good, competitive total on most occasions.

He is in a great form as is obvious by his batting brilliance against West Indies in the last series. He smashed two centuries in three matches and was highest run-scorer in that series. Once again, the onus will be on his shoulders to provide a good start to the team.

Tamim Iqbal in ODIs:

Matches - 182, Runs - 6305, Avg. - 36.24, HS - 154, 50/100 - 42/11

#2 Shakib Al Hasan

He has been instrumental in many wins for his team across all formats

Shakib Al Hasan is without a doubt the biggest name to have emerged from Bangladesh cricket circles. He has been a very consistent performer with the bat as well as with the ball for his team.

He already finds himself in the league of world's greatest all-rounders. This speaks volumes about what he is capable of.

As a bowler, Shakib is accurate, consistent and canny whereas aggression and a wide range of strokes are the keys to his batting. He has been instrumental in many wins for his team across all formats.

In the last series against West Indies, he contributed to his team's success by scoring 190 runs and picking up two wickets from three matches. We can expect something similar from him in this tournament too.

Shakib Al Hasan in ODIs:

Matches- 188, Runs - 5433, Avg. - 35.51, HS - 134, 50/100 - 39/7, Wickets - 237, Bowling avg. - 29.78, 5W - 1

#3 Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim experience will be vital for the Bangladeshi side

Mushfiqur Rahim is the third most experienced player in the Bangladeshi side after Mashrafe Mortaza and Shakib Al Hasan in terms of ODI appearances.

He has played 187 matches for his team and has close to 5000 runs against his name in One-day internationals. He is also very quick behind the stumps and regarded as the best wicket-keeper in Bangladesh cricket history.

He was the captain of the team which had reached the final of the 2012 Asia Cup. Though he is not leading the team this time, his experience and capabilities will definitely help Bangladesh in their campaign.

Mushfiqur Rahim in ODIs:

Matches -187, Runs - 4828, Average - 32.84, HS - 117, 50s - 29, 100s - 5, Catches - 151, Stumps -42

#4 Mashrafe Mortaza

Mashrafe Mortaza is the symbol of Bangladesh's struggles and the sensational transformation they have gone through in the last few years

The first genuine fast bowler to emerge from the country, Mashrafe Mortaza is the symbol of Bangladesh's struggles and the sensational transformation they have gone through in the last few years. He has been the pace spearhead of his team for over a decade now and has done justice to the role.

He has also been captaining the side in the 50-over game for a long while and must get credit for the emergence of Bangladesh as a dominant force in this format.

Under his captaincy, Bangladesh made it to the knockouts for the first time in 2015 WC. Later, he led his team to ODI series wins against teams like Pakistan, India and South Africa.

In the last month itself, he charmingly turned the fortunes around for Bangladesh in the ODI series of the West Indies tour after they had been ruthlessly thrashed in the preceding Test series. He will look to carry the good form into the Asia Cup.

Mashrafe Mortaza in ODIs:

Matches - 190, Runs - 1653, Wickets - 245, Bowling avg. - 30.89, BBI - 26/6, 5W - 1

#5 Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman has established himself as a world-class bowler in a very short span of time

The quickest Bangladeshi to get 50 wickets in One-day internationals, Mustafizur Rahman has established himself as a world-class bowler in a very short span of time.

He grabbed everyone's attention in his first ODI series itself bagging 13 wickets to his name in three matches. His magical performance helped Bangladesh to register their first-ever ODI series win against India.

In 2016, he was Bangladesh's best bowler in WT20 picking nine wickets in three games. Later, he showcased his brilliance in the IPL where he scalped 16 wickets and helped SRH to win the title.

Though regular injuries have affected his game to an extent, he is fit and ready to fire in the upcoming tournament.

Mustafizur Rahman in ODIs:

Matches - 30, Wickets - 56, Bowling avg. - 20.02, SR - 25.46, Economy - 4.72, BBI - 43/6, 5W -3