Asia Cup 2018: Combined XI

#4 Fast Bowlers: Hardik Pandya, Jasprit Bumrah and Hasan Ali

Bumrah is one of the premier pacers in the world

Of the three fast bowlers, Pandya is the all-rounder while Bumrah and Hasan are the front-line pacers. Pandya has been reliable with the ball in white-ball cricket and gets through his quota of 10 overs more often than not. In addition to his bowling, he would also add a bit of muscle to the batting department and can provide the impetus towards the end of the innings.

Bumrah, on the other hand, has been India’s best bowler since making his debut against Australia in 2016. Having initially started out as a bowler with an awkward action, he is now one of the most intelligent bowlers going around. He has added a lot of variety to his bowling, with his slower ball being very deceptive. With Bumrah in the team, one need not worry about the Powerplay or the death-overs.

To partner Bumrah, I have gone for Pakistan’s Hasan Ali. The fast bowler was instrumental in Pakistan’s Champions Trophy triumph and has gone from strength to strength since. At present, the 24-year old boasts of an astounding bowling average of 20.88. Like Bumrah, Hasan Ali also bowls the difficult overs. However, it is his ability to pick up wickets in the middle phase of the innings which gets him the start ahead of the likes of Amir and Bhuvaneshwar.

The team has a balanced fast bowling department and would be a tough nut to crack for any opposition batting line-up. Thus, the trio complete our eleven and find themselves in the Asia Cup combined XI for 2018.