Asia Cup 2022: Rating teams on basis of team performance

Winners will always call it a major success while the losing teams will call it a dressing rehearsal before the T20 World Cup - the pattern was already there before the start of the Asia Cup. Even after that, all the participating teams gave their best to honour themselves with the continental glory. After all, success in any form is always better for a team aiming for higher targets. 

With the global tournament, the T20 World Cup, set to begin in some time, the Asia Cup gave all the teams the platform to understand the team dynamics and composition going forward. While some teams looked in proper shape, others need changes in personnel for a better outcome in the future. Quick and random switches are not an ideal thing in cricket and that had its effect in the continental cup as well. 

So, based on their current run in the tournament, how did each team do and what are the things that bothered them throughout the course? Here’s the rating of how each team performed in the Asia Cup and what are the things they need to do in the foreseeable future. 

Rating Performance of each team in the Asia Cup: 

1. Hong Kong - 3/10

After three wins on a trot, Hong Kong once again qualified for the Asia Cup. Based on their previous performances, there was a sense of expectation of doing well in the tournament. The Nizakat Khan-led side came really close to beating India in the 2018 Asia Cup and in the 2022 edition, things were not very different.

Against a rock solid Indian side, Hong Kong started well but none of their batters could last long to help the team cross the 192-run barrier. They did lose the match by 40 runs but gave a sense of belief that the team will get better with proper exposure. However, the clock turned and reality hit. While chasing 194 runs against Pakistan, the team was bundled for 38 only!

Regardless, the team’s fighting spirit will be the highlight of their campaign. UAE were favourites to qualify for the main round but Hong Kong defeated them in order to qualify. Their performance against India will also inspire kids to take up cricket in the nation. 

Coming to the performance of individual players, Ehsan Khan and Yasim Murtaza were two of the shining stars in the team. Even at 37-years, Ehsan picked up the wickets of Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, two stalwarts of the modern Pakistani team. Murtaza’s performance in the main round was pretty ordinary but he was one of the reasons why Hong Kong qualified in the first place.