Asia Cup 2018: 5 top performers from the tournament

Asia Cup 2018 came to a spectacular end with India defeating Bangladesh in the last ball of the final match. It was a low scoring intriguing final match.

Nonetheless, the Asia Cup 2018 saw some brilliant individual performances. Players from smaller teams like Hong Kong and Afghanistan also put on a great show in the tournament.

Let's look at the top 5 performers of the Asia Cup 2018.

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#5 Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah was superb in the Asia Cup 2018

Kuldeep Yadav was one of the successful bowlers in the Asia Cup 2018 in terms of wickets. Yadav took 10 wickets in 6 matches. But still, Jasprit Bumrah's performance in the tournament is rated higher than Yadav's.

The conditions in UAE are very spin friendly. So spinners picking up wickets is nothing new. But as a fast bowler, Jasprit Bumrah had to toil hard in those conditions. Bumrah showed why he is the number 1 bowler in the world.

Bumrah picked up 8 wickets in the 4 matches that he played. He was consistent in each of the matches. At the depth overs, he didn't concede a single boundary in the whole Asia Cup 2018.

Bumrah's economical bowling was the reason that the oppositions couldn't cross the 250 run mark in each of the matches he played. His economy rate in the tournament was 3.67.

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#4 Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan

Afghanistan came into the Asia Cup 2018 as underdogs. Reaching the super four stage was a great achievement for them. They had a good bowling attack and the heart of the bowling attack was Rashid Khan.

Expectations were riding high on Rashid Khan to deliver on the big stage because he has been a sensation in the T20 leagues all over the world. Rashid delivered a complete all-round performance for his team in Asia Cup 2018.

Rashid picked up 10 wickets in 5 matches and was the joint highest wicket-taker of the tournament along with Kuldeep Yadav and Mustafizur Rahman. Rashid was brilliant at the death overs.

Rashid also batted well in the series. He made 87 runs in 4 innings. His blistering 57 runs off just 32 balls against Bangladesh in the league round was a match-winning knock.

#3 Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim

Mushfiqur Rahim was the key batsman for Bangladesh, who helped them to reach the finals of the Asia Cup 2018. Every time they had a bad start he was the man who rescued his team.

Rahim's 144 off 150 balls against Sri Lanka in their first match was one of the best knocks of the tournament. They were in all sorts of trouble when they lost 2 wickets for just 1 run. But Mushfiqur played that brilliant knock and helped Bangladesh win the match.

Mushfiqur played a similar inning against Pakistan in the super four stage which was a virtual semi-final. Bangladesh was struggling for 12-3 when Mushfiqur walked out to bat. He steadied the ship and took Bangladesh to a respectable total but he missed his century by just one run.

Mushfiqur Rahim scored 302 runs in 5 matches at an average of 60.40. He was the third highest run-getter in the Asia Cup 2018.

#2 Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma was simply outstanding in the Asia Cup 2018, not only with his batting but also as a captain. His decision making on the field was appreciated by all.

Rohit Sharma played some blistering knocks in the tournament. His sixes on the front foot mesmerized everyone. He missed out in the first match against Hong Kong but after that, in every match, he was simply superb.

In the second match against Pakistan chasing a low total of 163, Rohit made a ruthless 52 off just 39 balls backed up by an 83 not out against Bangladesh in the super four. His best knock of the series came against Pakistan where he made 111 not out chasing 238.

Rohit Sharma averaged a staggering 105.67 in the series, scoring 317 runs which were the second highest behind Shikhar Dhawan.

#1 Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan

Shikhar Dhawan was the player of the series in Asia Cup 2018. He was simply unstoppable at the top of the order. Barring the final, he scored in every other match that he played.

All the struggles and experience Dhawan had in England proved to be beneficial for him. He was playing the fast bowlers like Mohammed Amir, Hasan Ali, Mustafizur and others at ease.

From the first match itself, Dhawan was up to the mark, where he scored a brilliant 127 off 120 balls against Hong Kong. He got starts against Pakistan and Bangladesh in the next two matches but couldn't convert them.

In the super-four match against Pakistan, he scored his second century of the tournament. Chasing a 238 run target Dhawan made 114 runs off just 100 balls. He had a wonderful partnership of 210 runs with Rohit Sharma for the opening wicket.

Dhawan was the highest run-getter in the Asia Cup 2018 where he scored 342 runs at an average of 68.40 in 5 matches. His strike rate of 102.09 was the highest among the top ten run-getters in the series.