Game changers who can make a difference
MUMBAI: In a sport that relies heavily on collective performances, cricket has always had a special place for game changers. There will be quite a few in action in the Asia Cup; players who can change the course of a match by sheer strength of their individual talent.
The likes of Jasprit Bumrah, Rashid Khan, Shakib Al Hasan and veteran Angelo Mathews are all proven match-winners who have consistently been at the forefront of their team’s victories. Needless to say these players will be key to their team’s chances in the six-team tournament.
While wrist spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal have taken centre stage in limited-overs cricket, it is Bumrah who has been India’s most effective weapon in all three formats.
India have won eight out of 10 ODI series (bilateral as well as multinational) since Bumrah made his debut in early 2016. The fast bowler played a key role in India’s wins at home against New Zealand and England, but his magic waned in the ICC Champions Trophy 2017 wherein he claimed mere four wickets in five matches.
But Bumrah has bounced back to claim a record 15 wickets against Sri Lanka — most for any fast bowler in a five-match affair — to cement his place. Now as India head to the Asia Cup — a competition which they have not won since 2010 — the right-arm pacer would carry high hopes.
In Angelo Mathews, Sri Lanka have a workhorse as well as a bridge from their past glory to an uncertain future. Though heavily injury-prone, the Sri Lankan captain has been a major influence on the team. When fit and on song, Mathews can be destructive even for the best of bowling attacks, something that South Africa discovered recently.
Even though Sri Lanka lost to the Proteas 2-3, Mathews scored 235 runs at 78.33 with two halfcenturies to showcase his form, setting himself up well for the Asia Cup where wickets are expected to be batsmen-friendly. The Sri Lanka captain has scored one century and three half-centuries in his last 10 ODI innings.
AFGHAN SHOWMAN
Afghanistan’s Rashid is just 19, but already a match-winner. Such has been his aura that in 47 games so far, he’s gone wicketless in just five matches and picked up one wicket on just seven occasions. Barring two other games in which he didn’t bowl, the leg spinner has picked three wickets 12 times and bagged a couple on 13 occasions.
Besides the googly that often ends up uprooting a batsman’s timber, Rashid thrives on his skill to maintain stump-tostump line. His success drives Afghanistan. In 20 games, where he has picked up at least three or more wickets, the side has won 15 times. He’s also a fantastic pinch-hitter, coming lower down the order and has two half-centuries to his name.
Shakib has not just been instrumental in Bangladesh’s success over the years but continues to lead them from the front.
In the past one year, Shakib has featured in 11 internationals and has picked 13 wickets in 11 games while scoring 450 runs. He doesn’t often generate a lot of spin but relies more on flight to contain the batsmen. While his batting records don’t change much in sub-continental conditions, his bowling average leaps from 24.96 in Asia to 39.97 away from it. Bangladesh will rely a lot on his abilities to go deep into the tournament.