Asia Cup 2018: Pre-tournament XI of best players in the competition

Tailenders

#8 Rashid Khan

From playing in the streets of Afghanistan to playing at the international level, Rashid has come a long way. At the age of 19, he is ranked number 2 in ODIs and 1st in T20Is which can be called as a dream beginning for his career. Having 108 wickets in just 45 innings with 4 fifers (best figure of dazzling 7 /18) with an average of 14.22, he is the go-to guy for Afghanistan in a critical situation.

#9 Kuldeep Yadav

It was just a year ago that India witnessed their very first chinaman in International cricket and from then, he is sending shock waves in all of the cricketing fraternity. He rose to number 6 in the ICC ODI Rankings by bamboozling the batsmen 48 times in his short stint of 23 matches.

In the recently concluded series against England, he took 9 wickets in 3 ODIs including his career-best figures of 6/25. He is now the strike bowler for India in middle overs. Definitely, we can bet on Kuldeep Yadav to produce some memorable moments in this Asia Cup.

#10 Hasan Ali

The Man of the Tournament in the Champions Trophy 2017 by picking 13 wickets in just 5 games in that competition, Hasan has now become the prime bowler of Pakistan. The speedster from Punjab who is ranked number 3 in ODIs (with a baffling average of 20.88) is definitely going to trouble the batsmen with his disciplined bowling skills. He has 3 fifers in just 33 innings (with best figures of 5/34).

#11 Jasprit Bumrah

India’s search for a death specialist finally ended after Bumrah rose to the scene. Consistently bowling in the 140+ range, disciplined line and length have made it difficult for the batsmen to go past Bumrah. This Gujarat lad is currently at the pinnacle of ODI bowlers’ rankings, all thanks to his 64 scalps in 37 matches.

He has a bowling average of 22.5 which is scintillating for a bowler who bowls in death overs and powerplays. This Asia Cup will also be a stern test for his opponents.