Asia Cup 2018: Flop XI of the Tournament

Middle-order:

#3 Sarfraz Ahmed (Pakistan)

Sarfraz Ahmed

In terms of batting, 2018 has been a poor year of Sarfraz in ODIs. In 11 innings, he has scored only 166 runs with a single 50+ score.

Even in this year’s Asia Cup, he failed to bail out his team in critical situations. He was unable to lead his team from the front. Besides, his constant field changing and chirping towards his bowlers failed to motivate his team. He scored only 68 runs from 4 innings with 44 of them coming in a single inning.

#4 Angelo Mathews (Sri Lanka)

Angelo Mathews

To manage his workload and reduce the injury concerns, Mathews had already stopped bowling. He is no longer the all-rounder in the team.

This year’s Asia Cup was a disaster for Mathews and his team, as they were eliminated in the group stage itself. In two games, Mathews scored a mere 38 runs. As a result, the selectors stripped the limited-overs captaincy from Mathews and dropped him for Sri Lanka’s upcoming ODI series against England.

#5 Asif Ali (Pakistan)

Asif Ali

Asif Ali is one among the players who emerged from Pakistan Super League (PSL). He had a great PSL 2018 season. His big-hitting style attracted the Pakistan selectors. As a result, he was fast-tracked into the International set up.

He made his ODI debut in the 5-match series against Zimbabwe. In his debut ODI, he scored a quick fire 46 runs from 25 balls with the strike rate of 184. He also registered his maiden 50+ score in that tournament and ended the competition with the strike rate of 180.95.

However, he failed to replicate his explosive performances in the Asia Cup. He mustered only 77 runs from four innings with the strike rate of 91.66. Though he had a chance to prove his worth in the final Super 4 match against Bangladesh, he got dismissed at the crucial stage and handed over the momentum to the opponents.