10 Players who could have been a part of Asia Cup 2022 had they not left their nation

The game of cricket has evolved so much that the competition for spots in any national side has got tougher and tougher. While a lot of youngsters have been looking to take up the sport, it is very important that the board recognises the deserving candidates as the players have a lot of chances around the world at the moment. From switching nations and to quitting cricket from their own country, a lot has happened since the introduction of T20 cricket and players have been privileged with more chances outside their nation. Although BCCI has been strict on the Indian players not taking part in other franchise leagues, the other cricketing boards have been providing NOC to the players to make sure they get enough experience of different conditions. With the Asia Cup set to start on August 27 in UAE, it is time into look into ten players who could have been part of the tournament if they had not left their nation. 10 Players who could have been part of Asia Cup 2022 had they not left their nation 1. Tim David Tim David. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI) Tim David has been one of the big names going around in T20I cricket at the moment and he has managed to create a lot of scare among the bowlers with his brute power on display. Born in Singapore, David has played 14 T20 internationals so far for his home country since his debut in 2019. With 558 runs at an average of 46.5, David has had a tremendous start to his international career and his strike rate of 158.5 speaks volumes of his ability to clear the ropes. However, David wasn’t part of the Singapore national squad for the Asia Cup 2022 due to his recent ambitions of representing the Australian national side. David would have made a big difference to the Singapore side in Asia Cup 2022 qualifiers, and he recently bagged a lucrative IPL deal for the Mumbai Indians. It will be interesting to see if he can make it to the Australian squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 which will be a massive boost to the defending champions. 2. Mark Chapman Mark Chapman. (Photo by Pankaj Nangia/Getty Images) Mark Chapman has slowly started to show his prowess with the bat for New Zealand in limited overs cricket, but he represented the Hong Kong nation in International cricket before that. The left-hander made his ODI debut for the Hong Kong side in 2015 and scored a century on his debut against UAE. He later went on to represent Auckland in New Zealand domestic cricket and soon earned a call-up to the international side in 2018. Since then, he has been in and out of the Kiwis’ side and the 28-year-old was given a go in the recent tour to Scotland where he excelled with the bat. He scored a quick century in the only ODI and has been consistent whenever he has been handed the chance in New Zealand colours. Although his place in the 15-member New Zealand squad for the T20 World Cup remains doubtful, he certainly would have been much use to the Hong Kong squad that recently qualified for the Asia Cup 2022 group stages. 3. Shehan Jayasuriya Shehan Jayasuriya. (Photo credit should read ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images) Shehan Jayasuriya is an aggressive batting all-rounder who was used in the middle order for a while by the Sri Lankan national side. The left-hand batter made his international debut in August 2015 and went on to play 12 ODIs and 18 T20 internationals for his home nation. Jayasuriya had the highest score of 96 which turned out to be his only half-century in international cricket and his off break produced six wickets across formats. He last played in the Sri Lanka colours against West Indies in a T20I in 2020 and has decided to move with his family to the USA. Jayasuriya is yet to represent the American nation in international cricket, however, the 30-year-old would have been in the scheme of things for the Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup 2022 in UAE. 4. Anshuman Rath Anshuman Rath of Hong Kong. (Photo by Nigel Roddis – IDI/IDI via Getty Images) Anshuman Rath is a former Hong Kong-born batter who had a terrific start to his international career. The left-hander made his ODI debut in 2014 and since then, he had been an integral part of the batting lineup including taking up the captaincy. Rath had some excellent first-class numbers averaging above 50 which brought him into international cricket soon. Rath last played an ODI against India in the previous Asia Cup in 2018 and announced his retirement from Hong Kong cricket to pursue his cricket career in India. He later represented Odisha in Ranji Trophy 2021 season and has made his aspirations to represent the country in the longer format. Rath would have led the Hong Kong side in the Asia Cup 2022 if he had not moved to India and soon, he could bag an IPL deal as well by registering as a local player. 5. Izatullah Dawlatzai Izatullah Dawlatzai. (Photo by Graham Crouch-ICC/ICC via Getty Images) Izatullah Dawlatzai is a former Afghanistan bowler who made his debut at a very young age against Kenya in 2010 and he played in the ICC T20 World Cup Qualifiers in 2012. He picked up a three wicket-haul on his debut in T20Is and last played for his country in 2015. Dawlatzai was seen as an excellent talent since his early days and he was part of the Afghanistan U-19 squads. However, having missed a lot of action since his injury in 2014, Dawlatzai made a move to Germany after 2015 and has been playing for the nation post that. He last played a T20I for Germany against Spain at Almeria in 2020. It has to be noted that Dawlatzai would have made a big difference to the Afghanistan bowling lineup for the Asia Cup 2022 with match-winners like Rashid Khan and Mujeeb ur Rahman in the ranks already. 6. Sami Aslam Sami Aslam, primarily a left-handed opener, made inroads through U19 cricket into the Pakistan international side and played 13 Tests and 4 ODIs for his nation. Making his international debut in 2015, Aslam scored seven fifties in his Test career but could not have much of an impact in the 50-over format. Aslam had a strong first-class career in his home nation and he still is the second-highest run-scorer in U-19 ODI history with 1695 runs. The 26-year-old last played a Test against Sri Lanka in 2017 and made a move to the USA by signing with the Minor Cricket League. Aslam though hasn’t played international T20Is, had the ability to find the gaps consistently and could have had chances of playing in the Asia Cup 2022 had he stayed in his home country. 7. Amila Aponso Amila Aponso. (Photo by LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI/AFP via Getty Images) Amila Aponso was a Sri Lankan left-arm spinner who represented the country in 9 ODIs and 3 T20Is. Having made his international debut in 2016 against Australia, Aponso bowled an economical spell conceding just 27 runs in his ten overs and claimed a wicket. The finger spinner had good numbers in domestic cricket which earned him a lot of returns to the national squad. With a bowling average of 23.43 in first-class cricket, Aponso was tough to be ignored and he was part of the Sri Lanka squad for the 2018 Asia Cup. He last played an international game in the same year and was dropped from the squads again. Currently, Aponso has moved to the USA to play Minor Cricket League for the Atlanta Fire and is unlikely to feature in the Sri Lankan squad again. 8. Unmukt Chand Unmukt Chand. (Photo Source: Twitter) Unmukt Chand was a highly talented cricketer who emerged from U-19 cricket but couldn’t make much progress in first-class cricket. The right-hander led the Indian side to victory in the U-19 World Cup finals in 2012 and was touted as the next big thing in Indian cricket. He bagged an IPL contract soon and played a big part in the Delhi side in Ranji Trophy and List A games. He did lead the side however, consistency seemed to be a bigger issue for him and he could never replicate his potential in performances. With an average of just above 30 in first-class cricket, Chand could not find a place in the Delhi squad and he made a move to the USA. Since joining the Minor Cricket League, Chand had made a lot of progress and is likely to play for the country from 2024 due to the eligibility criteria. Recently, he became the first Indian-born cricketer to play the Big Bash League in Australia after retiring from Indian cricket at just 28 years. 9. Smit Patel Smit Patel. (Photo Source: Twitter) Smit Patel, a wicketkeeper batter was another cricketer who emerged through U-19 cricket and was part of the world cup winning U-19 Indian side in 2012. He was part of a brilliant partnership alongside his skipper, Unmukt Chand, in the finals against Australia and made a name for himself at a very young age. Patel played for various states in first-class cricket after that including Gujarat, Baroda, Goa, and Tripura and was selected for the Board President XIs. However, he could not bag an IPL deal and his first-class average of close to 40 could not push him up for a spot on the Indian side. In 2021, Patel decided to quit Indian cricket and took a reroute by signing up with the Barbados Royals in the Caribbean Premier league. He is currently plying his trade in the USA, with the aim of representing the country soon. 10. Harmeet Singh harmeet singh. (Photo Source: Twitter) Among the talents that arrived in the 2012 U-19 World Cup, Harmeet Singh was expected to make wonders in the country going by the start he had. He proved to be a valuable asset in the title-winning campaign under Unmukt Chand and he had made his first-class debut way early in 2009 for the Mumbai side. The left-arm spinner picked up seven wickets on his first-class debut in a star-studded Mumbai side and bagged an IPL deal few years later with the Rajasthan Royals in 2013. The all-rounder had a century and four five-wicket hauls under his records in 31 first-class games and his performances seemed to have faded. While many youngsters moved to the USA to resume their cricketing careers, Harmeet was one among those and he signed up with the Minor Cricket League. In 2021, he announced his retirement from Indian cricket and moved to Seattle.

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10 Players who could have been a part of Asia Cup 2022 had they not left their nation

Anshuman Rath made a move to India by quitting Hong Kong Cricket in 2018.

6. Sami Aslam

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