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Asia Cup 2018: Best XI of the tournament

Cricadium Staff
By Cricadium Staff
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Asia Cup Best XI
Asia Cup Best XI

#5 Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik

Pakistan’s batting faltered in the tournament on most occasions. But one man stood out. It was Shoaib Malik who carried the side single-handedly multiple times. He scored 211 runs from 5 innings at a great average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 80.53. Whenever the chips were down, the veteran rose to the occasion.

His knock against Afghanistan in the Super 4 stage was his best effort of the tournament. When the other batsmen were falling from the other end, he stood firm and took it upon himself to carry the side through. It was unfortunate that despite his heroics, Pakistan couldn’t make it to the final.

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Asia Cup Best XI
Asia Cup Best XI
The Asia Cup 2018 is done and dusted. It was a series of 13 riveting contents. Whenever the Asian nations collide, the tournament produces results opposite to the expectations. While Sri Lanka, one of the stronger sides of all time, was ruled out in the first round itself after losing to Afghanistan and Bangladesh, the Afghans emerged a strong nation and almost defeated teams like India and Pakistan. Bangladesh rang in another upset by knocking out Pakistan in the Super 4 stage to reach the second final in a row. India, which was clinical throughout the tournament, was pushed to the last ball in the final. Ultimately, the Men in Blue won the final and became the champions for the 7th time. There were some outstanding performances this time around and it's time to look at the best players.

Here's the best XI of Asia Cup 2018

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan scored 127 against Hong Kong
Shikhar Dhawan
The Indian opener put behind him the horrible tour of England. From the very first game, he found back his form and notched up a century against Hong Kong. It was evident that Shikhar Dhawan of the white ball cricket was back. He scored another century against Pakistan in the Super 4 stage to stamp his authority on the opposition. The left-hander finished as the leading run-getter of the tournament. From 5 innings, he scored 342 runs at an average of 68.4 and an astonishing strike rate of 102.09. He proved that when it comes to limited overs cricket, he is one of the best going around currently. For his magnificent performance, he was adjudged the Player of the Tournament.

#2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma
India's stand-in captain Rohit Sharma was tremendous throughout the Asia Cup 2018. Not just with the bat, he was instrumental with the bat too for the team. He scored 317 runs from 5 innings at a mind-boggling average of 105.67 and a strike rate of 93.51. The opener made 2 half-centuries and a century and never did he get out for a low score. In the absence of Virat Kohli, Rohit was trusted with the captaincy role. He once again showed his wonderful leadership skills and led India to the 7th Asian title. The 32-year-old was always involved and even in the game where he was rested versus Afghanistan, the captain walked out to the field during India's batting and instructed the batsmen. India must be delighted to have such a great leader as a backup.

#3 Hashmatullah Shahidi

Hashmatullah Shahidi
Hashmatullah Shahidi
Afghanistan, before the Asia Cup 2018, was a side known for his prowess in bowling, especially in the spin department. But this tournament has changed the way the cricketing fraternity looks at them. They have shown that they can bat as well. A few batsmen played decent knocks but the standout was Hashmatullah Shahidi. The batsman scored 263 runs from 5 innings at an average of 65.75. Even though the strike rate was 72.25 but he laid the platform for his side more often than not. He scored 3 half-centuries and the highest score of 97 not out came against Pakistan. He was only behind Mohammad Shahzad as the leading run-getter for Afghanistan.

#4 Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim
Mushfiqur Rahim
Rahim carried Bangladesh's batting single-handedly. His knock of 144 against Sri Lanka in the first match was perhaps the best knock of the tournament. The wicketkeeper-batsman was the mainstay of the side. Whenever he scored, the team won and when he failed, the team ended up on the losing side. He played another knock of 99 against Pakistan that enabled Bangladesh to reach the final. He was Bangladesh's leading run scorer with 302 runs from 5 innings. The former captain scored at an average of 60.4 and a strike rate of 81.18. When the experienced batsman Shakib Al Hasan did not come to the party, Bangladesh was lucky to have Rahim in top form.

#5 Shoaib Malik

Shoaib Malik
Shoaib Malik
Pakistan's batting faltered in the tournament on most occasions. But one man stood out. It was Shoaib Malik who carried the side single-handedly multiple times. He scored 211 runs from 5 innings at a great average of 70.33 and a strike rate of 80.53. Whenever the chips were down, the veteran rose to the occasion. His knock against Afghanistan in the Super 4 stage was his best effort of the tournament. When the other batsmen were falling from the other end, he stood firm and took it upon himself to carry the side through. It was unfortunate that despite his heroics, Pakistan couldn't make it to the final.

#6 Kedar Jadhav

Kedar Jadhav

Jadhav was making a comeback in the Indian side after suffering from the hamstring injury that he encountered in the first match of IPL 2018. It turned out to be a happy return for the all-rounder as he contributed to the team's success. With the bat, he played a decent knock of 28 that took India to 285. But it was his bowling that put him on the map. With his slinging action, he troubled the batsmen and ended up picking 6 wickets from 6 games. His spell of 41/2 in the final of the tournament proved to be the turning point. The off-spinner provided India with crucial breakthroughs whenever needed. He aggrevated the hamstring injury and despite the troubles, won the mactch for India in the final.

#7 Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi
Nabi is no new entrant is the cricketing world. He has seen it all and been one of the pillars of Afghan cricket for the past few years. Once again, he was one of the standout performers for the side in the Asia Cup 2018. Nabi scored 134 runs from 5 innings. The average of 26.8 might not look daunting but it was the strike rate of 107.2 that mattered. The right-hander scored a quickfire 64 against India that got them to a fighting total. Not just with the bat but he delivered with the ball too. From 5 innings, he claimed 5 wickets and lived up to the tag of being an all-rounder in the side.

#8 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan certainly proved to be the poster boy of the Asia Cup 2018. The 20-year-old was already in the limelight before the tournament and with some magnificent performances, his stature grew a few notches. He was the main man for the side each time. Whenever the captain needed him, he put his hand up and delivered. The leg-spinner ended up with 10 wickets from 5 wickets and alongside Kuldeep Yadav, was the leading wicket-taker of the tournament. He had an amazing economy rate of 3.73 and took wickets at an average of 17.2. Not only with the bat, but he also showcased his skills with the bat when he scored a fifty against Bangladesh to make his 20th birthday special.

#9 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah
Team India has witnessed the meteoric rise of Jasprit Bumrah in the last couple of years. When he is in the side, the team is assured to have some quality bowling. Bumrah was the standout bowler for India as he bagged 8 wickets from 4 games. India did the smart thing by resting him on apt occasions that kept him fresh for the crucial games. He was magnificent, especially during the slog overs. In the whole tournament, the pacer conceded no boundaries in overs 40 to 50. His yorkers were pinpoint accurate that didn't let the batsmen score freely at the death. The bowler finished with an economy rate of 3.67 which was remarkable.

#10 Mustafizur Rahman

Mustafizur Rahman
Mustafizur Rahman
While Bangladesh's batting revolved around Mushfiqur Rahim in the Asia Cup, Mustafizur took charge of the bowling department. He was the go-to bowler for the skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and the pacer delivered more often than not. From 5 matches, he claimed 10 wickets and finished as the highest wicket-taker for his side. He was close to his best in the tournament. The heroics of the Fizz in the last over against Afghanistan helped them stay alive in the tournament. In the final, his spell of 38/2 almost pulled off the game in Bangladesh's favor but unfortunately the side ended up on the losing end.

#11 Kuldeep Yadav

Kuldeep Yadav
Kuldeep Yadav
India's Kuldeep Yadav ended up as the leading wicket-taker of the tournament alongside Rashid Khan. He bagged 10 wickets from 6 matches at an average of 23.7 and an economy rate of 4.09. The spinner played all the matches and played instrumental roles each time. The chinaman was consistent throughout the tournament and bagged wickets for India at crucial stages. The surfaces in Dubai weren't conducive to spin yet he delivered. When his partner Yuzvendra Chahal didn't look hugely effective, Kuldeep stood up and proved to be the go-to bowler.   Stay updated with all the cricketing action, follow Cricadium on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram

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