The battle lines have been drawn and the rumble to contest for Asia's biggest cricketing crown is about to get underway.
This year's Asia Cup is going to be special for a lot of reasons but none bigger than the fact that it will serve as a dress rehearsal for the ODI World Cup starting October 5.
One of the prime contenders to win the continental tournament this year, Pakistan, seem firm on winning the event and their on-the-field as well as off-the-field approach says the same.
The Green Brigade recently played a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan and won it 3-0. However, it is not known to many that the bilateral contest was reportedly going to be played in the UAE.
The last-minute scheduling of the series in Sri Lanka was done to make sure it lays down an ideal preparatory ground for the Asia Cup as nine of its matches are to be played in the island nation.
Having registered a clean sweep against the Afghans, the Pakistan team would love to win the continental tournament and stake a claim on the biggest marquee 50-overs tournament that the calendar year has to offer.
Strengths
Pace is pace
The two-time Asia Cup winners arguably have the most lethal pace battery leading into the event. With the trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf firing on all cylinders, teams can only ignore its presence at their peril.
Naseem Shah, the youngest of the lot has picked up 15 wickets this year in just seven games at an excellent average of 19.46 and economy rate of 4.78.
Shaheen, who will be spearheading the pace battery has bagged 14 scalps in the same number of games at an average of 21 and an economy rate of 5.01. He finished as the leading wicket-taker in the recently concluded ODI series against Afghanistan with six poles. Haris too has fairly identical numbers to Shaheen and was the second-leading wicket-taker in the Afghanistan series.
Batters in blazing form
Skipper Babar Azam is leading the two-time Asian champions from the front and his batting numbers are a testament to the same. Ranked No. 1 in ICC ODI batting rankings, the 28-year-old has racked up 538 runs at an average of 48.90, including one ton and six half-centuries in 11 games this year.
He has been ably supported by his wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan who has notched up 433 runs in the same number of games as Babar at a better average of 54.12 and a strike rate reading 92.12.
While these two batters have been superb in the ongoing calendar year, a major chunk of their success can also be credited to Imam-ul-Haq. Batting up front, Imam seems to be enjoying his time. He ended the series against Afghanistan as the leading run-getter for Pakistan with 165 runs, including two fifty-plus scores and averages 44.50 in 2023.
Weaknesses
Who after Babar-Rizwan?
The lower middle order of Pakistan is thin on experience and that might cost them a few crucial games in this edition. Agha Salman has shown plenty of promise in his short ODI stint but he is yet to be tested fully.
Having played just 14 ODIs, Salman has done justice to the opportunities that have been presented to him with 396 runs at an average of 44.00. However, what needs to be seen is whether he can thrive under high-octane pressure if the team finds itself under the pump after losing a few quick wickets up front.
Quite akin to Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed too hasn't played enough ODIs to his liking. With the same number of ODI games under his belt as Salman, Iftikhar's numbers do not make a very good reading. The 32-year-old has just scored 293 runs at an average of 36.62. Hence, these two batters will have to do a lot of heavy lifting if Pakistan suffer a collapse and it might go either way.
Fakhar's sudden slump and Shadab's dry spell
After powering his way through three consecutive tons against New Zealand earlier this year, Fakhar Zaman's form is experiencing a downward spiral.
27, 30, 2, 33, 14, 19 - a string of low scores illustrate how the southpaw has struggled to make the most of his time at the top of the order lately. He was seen battling the moving ball against Fazalhaq Farooqi recently and with more gun pacers across teams in the Asia Cup, Fakhar's struggle might continue.
Shadab Khan has been Pakistan's go-to option in white-ball cricket for years now. The wily leggie has also won the team numerous games with his bowling ability but his recent outings vividly hint at his struggle to snare wickets when needed.
The bowling allrounder has played six games in 2023 thus far and has proved hard to get away for opposition batters but what creates headaches aplenty is his wickets column. Shadab has only claimed seven wickets this year and that figure might worry the captain as he'll have to shoulder the onus of providing the team with crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.
Opportunities
The 'Favourites' tag
Pakistan have entered the last few editions of the ODI World Cup as anything but favourites. However, after perhaps for the first time since 2011 several experts are billing them as one of the top contenders to win the marquee tournament in India.
If Pakistan really have to stake a claim at the World Cup and prove the billing right, they need to win the Asia Cup first. With all the top-tier Asian sides featuring in the continental affair, Pakistan's successful campaign will go a long way in adding a concrete reason to the billing.
Three-time champions?
For a country that has been nothing short of an absolute powerhouse in Asia, Pakistan haven't quite done justice to their stature in Asia Cup.
Being one of the first few countries that have featured in the tournament since the very beginning, it beggars belief that the Green Brigade has only managed to win the tournament twice. Hence, with the kind of core that they have put together for the upcoming edition, it triggers more than just hope that the Babar Azam-led outfit might claim their third Asia Cup title in history.
Threats
Undercooked
One of the reasons that may end up hurting the 1992 World Cup winners this time is their lack of game time in the ODI format. Pakistan have played just 31 matches in the ongoing World Cup cycle which is 20 less than their opponents in Asia Cup's opening affair - Nepal (51). The lack of game time in the ODI format can play a decisive role and hurt the two-time Asian champions.
A hapless historic account
Pakistan's loss percentage - 40%, is the most compared to the two most successful teams in the history of the tournament i.e. India (32.65) and Sri Lanka (32.00).
It narrates a sad saga of the Pakistan teams that have chanced their fortunes in the tournament earlier and perished. While the 2023 edition will be a fresh start, it only takes one bad game to bring back old and unpleasant memories from the past.
