Asia Cup 2018: Strongest XI

Middle-order: Mushfiqur Rahim, Shoaib Malik, and Hasmatullah Shahidi

Mushfiqur Rahim was Bangladesh’s best batsman in the tournament. In five games, the 31-year-old has scored 302 runs at an average of 60.40. He scored a hundred and a fifty in the tournament and was their batting mainstay. In the absence of Tamim Iqbal, he took the run-scoring responsibilities on his shoulders and did a great job.

The 36-year-old still has a lot of gas left in his tank to play at the highest level. With two fifties and some useful contributions, Shoaib Malik was consistent for Pakistan throughout the 2018 Asia Cup. He has scored 211 runs in five games at an average of 70.33. Lack of support for the veteran batsman has resulted in Pakistan’s downfall.

Hasmatullah Shahidi is arguably the find of the tournament. The 23-year-old was brilliant for Afghanistan in the middle-order and rescued their batting lineup on multiple occasions in the tournament. Hasmatullah has scored 263 runs in five games at an average of 65.75. With three fifties, he was always there for his team when needed.