Asia Cup 2023: Confirmed List of Openers for All Six Teams
India and Pakistan team players in focus as we look at the confirmed openers list of all 6 teams for ACC’s Asia Cup 2023.
The 16th edition of Asia Cup 2023 is only a few days away, and all teams are currently preparing for the marquee event that shall begin on August 30. Except for the hosts Sri Lanka, the other five teams have already announced their official 15 to 17-member squad for the tournament.
While all players have a significant role in the success of the team, the openers, who generally play the maximum number of balls are always the ones that get the most attention. So, in this article, we take a look at the official list of best openers of all six teams for Asia Cup 2023.
Openers List of All Six Teams for Asia Cup 2023:
#1: Afghanistan
Two Best Openers: Rahmanullah Gurbaz & Ibrahim Zadran
Backup Opener: Riaz Hassan
Afghanistan, the number 10 ranked team in ICC ODI ranking have two solid openers in the form of Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran. Both these openers have been in tremendous form with a ranking of 46 and 19 respectively. Apart from these two, Afghanistan have 20-year-old Riaz Hassan as a key backup opener.
#2: Bangladesh
Two Best Openers: Litton Das & Mohammad Naim
Backup Opener: Tanzid Hasan
For Bangladesh, their best opener, Tamim Iqbal has already been ruled out of the tournament. In his absence, Litton Das and Mohammad Naim are their best openers. Between these two, only Litton Das is in the top 100 with a ranking of 39. Other than these two, Bangladehs have 22-year-old Tanzid Hasan as their key backup opener.
#3: India
Two Best Openers: Rohit Sharma & Shubman Gill
Backup Opener: Ishan Kishan
For India, openers are their strength as both the openers are in the top 15 of ICC batters rankings. While Shubman Gill is ranked 4th, Rohit Sharma is ranked 11th. Both will play a key role in Team India in the Asia Cup 2023, In addition, Team India also have a solid backup opener in the form of Ishan Kishan.
#4: Nepal
Two Best Openers: Aasif Sheikh & Kushal Bhurtel
Backup Opener: Arjun Saud
Coming to Nepal, 22-year-old Aasif Sheikh and 26-year-old Kushal Bhurtel are the team’s best openers in the squad. Both have a decent experience of playing 40+ ODIs, and that’s a good experience for an associate nation. In addition, Nepal have 20-year-old Arjun Saud as the key backup opener.
#5: Pakistan
Two Best Openers: Fakhar Zaman & Imam Ul-Haq
Backup Opener: Abdullah Shafique
Of all the six teams present in the competition, there’s no harm in saying that Pakistan have the best set of first-choice openers. While Imam Ul-Haq is ranked 3rd, Fakhar Zaman is ranked 5th in the ICC ODI batting ranking. These two have been quite consistent in the last 3 years. However, their backup opener Abdulla Shafique is only taking baby steps in ODI cricket.
#6: Sri Lanka
Two Best Openers: Pathum Nissanka & Dimuth Karunaratne
Backup Opener: Sadeera Samarawickrama
Finally, taking about the openers for Sri Lanka, who haven’t announced their squad as of August 27 have Pathum Nissanka and Dimuth Karunaratne as their key openers. These two have an ICC ranking of 27 and 81 respectively. Additionally, Sri Lanka’s backup opener is quite promising in the form of Sadeera Samarawickrama.
Thanks for reading! Which team has the best set of openers for Asia Cup 2023? Please email your thoughts to business@cric8fanatic.com
ALSO READ: Asia Cup 2023: Team India Official Final Squad and Players List
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