Asia Cup 2022: Rating captains based on captaincy in the tournament

Captain, the decision maker of the team, has the power to change the course of the game at any moment. For example, Rohit Sharma promoting Ravindra Jadeja in India’s first match of the tournament was a brilliant tactical move while Mohammad Nawaz being promoted against India in the super four was considered as a masterstroke from Babar Azam. However, heroes do fall! Babar Azam bringing Mohammad Nawaz late into the attack against Sri Lanka in the night of the finals was heavily criticised by Wasim Akram. Meanwhile Rohit not trying his options was also a matter of discussion in the Asia Cup. So, the point once again comes on how captains can influence a team and how his inputs can leave a long-lasting impression on the match. Apart from Babar Azam and Rohit Sharma, how did other captains do in the Asia Cup? What are the things that the captains need to learn about? Here’s the summary of their performance in the tournament - Captains and their performance in the Asia Cup Nizakat Khan - 3/10 Despite having a poor time with the ball, Nizakat Khan and his Hong Kong team fought hard against India in their first match of the tournament. His changes in the bowling line-up was effective in the death overs and that stopped India from crossing the 200-mark in the match. In the following match, the team failed massively as they were all-out for 38 runs against Pakistan. Nizakat Khan did not lead by example and that was a huge problem. Given the experience he has, the Hong Kong captain scored 18 runs from the two matches that the team played. His substandard innings didn’t help Hong Kong as they were ruled out before the second phase of the tournament. Nizakat Khan earned his points because of his team’s performance in the qualifiers. Hong Kong managed to win all their three qualifying matches against Singapore, Kuwait and UAE and that is one positive thing for the team. They have the quality, it’s just that they need to nourish it by playing cricket on a regular basis. Shakib Al Hasan - 3.5/10 The poster boy of Bangladesh cricket, Shakib Al Hasan was handed over the captaincy just before the Asia Cup. With his team failing to win the T20I and ODI series against Zimbabwe, the pressure was always there from the supporters. They of course failed to live up to the expectations as Bangladesh were ruled out of the Asia Cup following their back-to-back defeats in the hands of Pakistan and Sri Lanka. After taking up the responsibility, Shakib clarified that the team can’t change so quickly but they’ll start a pattern. However, at this moment, the team dynamics is still missing. After a poor last couple of months, Mushfiqur Rahim retired from T20I cricket and thus, it proves that the team lacks clarity. As the captain of the side, Shakib needs to address this. Only then, they’ll see positive results on the field. It wasn’t a happening tournament for the side but some of the decisions Shakib made were questionable. For example, not sending in-form batter Mosaddek Hossain up the order was a very bad decision from the skipper. Mohammad Nabi - 6/10 Mohammad Nabi is again someone who didn’t lead the team by example but some of his decisions were top-notch. The bowling changes that he made played a massive part in Afghanistan’s success in the tournament and there’s no doubt that he led the team well enough. However, with three straight defeats in the super four, you can’t fetch points for yourself. Despite being tough for opponents, the Afghans were never invincibles. They made mistakes during their batting and that’s what cost them their place in the finals. What needs to change? Their mentality to start with. Former captain Asghar Afghan did speak out how the lads aren’t confident enough to go the distance and that probably became a core part of the team. Nabi needs to address that in the team before the all important T20 World Cup. He is a good captain but it’s time to be a great captain. This will not only help the current batch but for generations to come. After all, mentality is everything in any sport! Rohit Sharma - 6/10 Rohit Sharma was decent but having such a heavy resume, people expected better from the team. Random rotation and no proper backing is a huge reason why India failed to win two of their three super four matches. The sudden exclusion of Dinesh Karthik and inclusion of Deepak Hooda raised some serious questions without any answers. Even when Hooda was picked in the XI, Rohit didn’t use him for majority of the matches. The fans left confused about his match planning as Dinesh Karthik as a finisher could have been India’s way to the final. The skipper also was reluctant to pick Axar Patel, who could have been a direct replacement for injured Ravindra Jadeja. The team after all won three of their five matches but not qualifying for the finals even after having a star-studded team is a big failure. However, the new formula of India to attack the opposition right from the first ball is a good move from the captain. Babar Azam - 6.5/10 Like most of the captains in the Asia Cup, Babar Azam was pretty ordinary in the tournament. Coming to the tournament, he was the number 1 batter in ICC’s Men’s T20I ranking but got dropped from that position as the tournament went ahead. Most importantly, his few decisions left the fans confused. Despite Mohammad Nawaz being one their best bowlers, Babar Azam introduced him really late in the finals. Even in the first match against India, his miscalculations cost Pakistan the match. He normally is considered as a good captain with the potential of winning a major trophy but the team is known to succumb under pressure. The team lacked confidence as well on the night of finals. Being the captain of the side, Babar Azam has a lot of work to do, especially the middle order which never stood up when the team needed. Dasun Shanaka -8.5/10 Dasun Shanaka is the hero of the Sri Lankan fans. He is the only captain who led the team with example and most importantly, built a squad that knows how to stick together and support each other in tough times. It took some time but Sri Lanka finally looks like a side that can win major tournaments. The credit for that goes to Dasun Shanaka and the team management for understanding the ability of a player and to back the strength of each and every individual. Despite being a vice-captain, dropping Charith Asalanka was a brave call and he took that at the right time and that's what makes him a good leader. The decisions he made on the field were more or less accurate and is appreciated by every fan. If he manages to keep everyone under the same umbrella, Sri Lanka can eventually challenge for the World Cup in Australia.

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Asia Cup 2022: Rating captains based on captaincy in the tournament

While Sri Lanka's Dasun Shanaka was spot on with his decisions, other captains weren't quite up to the mark.

Babar Azam - 6.5/10

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