5 oldest players who are part of the 2018 Asia Cup

Dhoni vs Malinga will be a feast to watch

The Asia Cup which was first established in 1983 will be played for the fourteenth time. The tournament was first conceived to promote goodwill Asian countries through cricket. The tournament was originally scheduled to play every two years but has its fair share of ups and downs due to political turmoil.

The biennial tournament will be back to its original format after its first T20I tournament two years ago. In a tournament of such stature, it is important that the teams have balanced sides with youth and experience. As the tournament starts on Saturday, let us take a look at the five oldest players in the tournament.

*All the ages are at the start of the tournament i.e. on 15th September 2018*

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#5 Mashrafe Mortaza (Bangladesh) - 34 years 345 days

Moshrafe Mortaza

Moshrafe Mortaza, also known as 'Narail Express,' was the first genuine fast bowler to represent Bangladesh. With the bat, he has the ability to hit the ball long and hard making him a very useful player lower down the order. Mortaza is one of the players who has been key to Bangladesh's rise in the past two years. He was also the man of the match in Bangladesh's 2007 World Cup win over India in West Indies.

Before his heroics in the 2007 tournament, he was the leading wicket-taker in ODIs with 49 wickets in the 2006 calendar year. Mortaza, from time to time, has been in and out of the due to his injury concerns but will still be a vital cog in Bangladesh success in the 2019 World Cup. With Asia Cup being the only major tournament before the prestigious tournament, Mortaza will look to contribute to the team as much as possible in what may be his final year at the Asian competition.

#4 Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka) - 35 years 18 days

Lasith Malinga

The Sri Lankan team has not been the same after the retirement of the three pillars of the team - Kumara Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, and Tillakaratne Dilshan. The island nation has not seen great success in its new formation phase and the return of Lasith Malinga to the team after a year will be a boost to the youngsters in the team.

Ahead of the start of the tournament, Sri Lankan head coach Chandika Hathurasingha reinstated the confidence in the veteran. "I believe that Malinga fits into our equation for this tournament. He is one of the best death bowlers in the world. In the last few matches, he has performed well and his fitness is up to mark."

Even though Lasith Malinga played his last ODI in September 2017, he cannot be written off at any cost. His return to the team is a cause of joy for the Sri Lankan fans who haven't witnessed any great performance from their team in the recent times. The fans will hope that the experienced campaigner will his help side rediscover the glory of the past.

#3 Dilruwan Perera (Sri Lanka) - 36 years 55 days

Sri Lanka Nets Session

Dilruwan Perera pips Lasith Malinga to be the oldest player to play for Sri Lanka in Asia Cup this year. Perara hasn't played for Sri Lanka since April 2017 but might play a game or two in the absence of Akila Dhananjaya, who will miss the first two matches for Sri Lanka.

Perera, who made his ODI debut way back in 2007, has only played 12 matches for the island nation and will be looking to make the most of the opportunities that come his way. With many young talents competing for the position in the team, the off-spinner, who holds the record for being the fastest Sri Lanka bowler to reach 50 and 100 Test wickets, might have to prove his worth soon as age is definitely on his side.

#2 Shoaib Malik (Pakistan) - 36 years 229 days

Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik made his debut for Pakistan nearly 20 years ago in 1999. Over the years, he has made many key contributions not only with the bat but also with the ball. The experienced off-spinner has played more than 250 ODIs during his career and has recently spoken about the need to increase the number of matches played between India and Pakistan.

“It is in the benefit of all if both India and Pakistan play a maximum number of matches against each other as it brings entertainment not only for the people of the two countries but also for the rest of the world. It also brings the people of India and Pakistan closer to each other,” said Shoaib Malik speaking to the Dawn.com.

“The cricketers of India and Pakistan are professionals and they want to give their best on the field against each other. And off the field, they like to behave like friends and we take meals together,” he added.

Pakistan who trumped India in the ICC champions trophy final last year will look to emulate a similar success in UAE and Shoaib Malik is most likely to play a key role in that.

#1 MS Dhoni (India) - 37 years 70 days

MS Dhoni, the leader

MS Dhoni is one of the best captains to have played the game of cricket. His understanding of the game is priceless and not to forget the guidance that he provides to the youngsters coming into the team. He is a man of vision and has also recently stated his reason to step down as the captain in ODIs.

"I resigned from captaincy because I wanted the new captain (Virat Kohli) to get enough time for preparing a team before the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019," said MS as per the reports in SportsRush.

He also added that “selecting a strong team without giving the new captain (Virat Kohli) appropriate time isn’t possible. I believe that I left the captaincy at the right time.”

With Rohit Sharma leading the side in the absence of Virat Kohli, MS Dhoni will be key to India's success in the Asian competition.