Asia Cup 2023: Rating 5 Batting Performances in Group Stage

The Asia Cup 2023 group stage came to an end on September 5, 2023, and that saw Sri Lanka edging out Afghanistan in a thrilling contest to confirm their spot in the Super 4s stage of the tournament. India and Pakistan qualified from Group A which saw Nepal getting eliminated after losing both their matches, while Bangladesh and Sri Lanka made it into the Super 4s from Group B, with Afghanistan being eliminated. There were many brilliant batting performances in the Group Stage of the Asia Cup which came in all sorts of circumstances and situations and will be remembered from time to time. Here are the 5 Best Rated batting performances in Group Stage 112 (retd hurt)- Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Bangladesh vs. Afghanistan- 7/10 Mehidy Hasan Miraz. (Photo source: Twitter) Bangladesh surprised everyone when they opened their innings with Mohammad Naim and sent Mehidy Hasan Miraz to open with him as regular opener Litton Das was not available due to illness. This was a brilliant ploy by Shakib Al Hasan and Bangladesh team management. Mehidy is an aggressive batter, and he took full use of powerplay overs and stunned the Afghanistan bowlers with his wide array of stroke play. He batted with both caution and authority and hammered his second ODI century and first as an opener in 115 balls. He retired hurt on 112 with 7 fours and 3 sixes to his name, but added 163 runs with Najmul Hossain Shanto (104), propelling Bangladesh to 334/5 in 50 overs. 151- Babar Azam, Pakistan vs. Nepal- 7/10 Babar Azam. (Photo Source: ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images) Babar Azam set alight the opening match of the Asia Cup 2023 in Multan on fire with an innings that just oozed class and confidence from the Pakistan captain. Choosing to bat first, Babar played the role of anchor as Pakistan lost 3 wickets for 100 odd runs as Nepal bowlers, especially the spinners, bowled a tight line. But once the danger was out of sight and he got support from Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar switched gears in the last 10 overs. Babar had reached his century in 109 balls and was finally dismissed for 151 in 131 balls, hitting 14 fours and 4 sixes in his knock, adding 214 runs with Iftikhar, who also hit his maiden ODI ton. 89- Najmul Hasan Shanto, Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka- 8/10 Shanto baby celebration. (Photo Source: Twitter) In what can be called a poor batting display by the Bangladesh side against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, the Bengla Tigers' batters had no answer to Lankan spinners on a turning pitch in Kandy. Bangladesh were bowled out for 164 runs in 42.4 overs and those runs might have been under 100 if not for the talented Najmul Hossain Shanto, who anchored one end and scored 89 in 122 balls with 7 fours. He masterfully negotiated the Lankan spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Dunith Wellalage, and Dhananjay de Silva, to bring some respect to the final Bangladesh total. 65- Mohammad Nabi, Sri Lanka vs. Afghanistan- 8/10 Mohammad-Nabi. (Photo by Asif HASSAN / AFP) (Photo by ASIF HASSAN/AFP via Getty Images) Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan showed why, even at the age of 38, he is one of the most feared hitters of the ball in international cricket. Afghanistan had to chase down 291 in 37.1 overs to beat the net run rate of Sri Lanka and qualify for the Super 4s. but they were unable to get much impetus in their innings as the top order struggled against disciplined Sri Lankan bowling. Enter Mohammad Nabi. The former Afghanistan captain started hammering sixes and fours from ball one and hit the fastest ODI fifty by an Afghan batter in just 24 balls. His onslaught saw him making 65 runs in 32 balls with 6 fours, bringing his team closure to a massive win, which in the end, they couldn’t achieve. 82- Ishan Kishan, India vs. Pakistan- 9/10 Ishan Kishan. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images) India and Pakistan clashed in an ODI for the first time since World Cup 2019 and what an encounter it would have been had the match not gotten rained off. India's captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and chose to bat first. Shaheen Afridi wreaked havoc from the start, removing Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli early. At 66/4, it looked like Pakistan would bundle India out for a low score and win the match comfortably. However, Ishan Kishan and Hardik Pandya had other plans as they added 138 runs for the fifth wicket, helping India put 266 runs on the board. However, the innings of note came from Ishan Kishan, as the left-hander had been struggling to adapt to the no.5 position and had previously failed at the same position. His game against spinners in middle overs was also under scrutiny. But in Pallekele, Kishan handled the two spinners well in Shadab and Nawaz and took apart the pacers at will as he could cut and slice as he pleased. He made 82 runs in 81 balls with 9 fours and 2 sixes. This knock was enough to give headaches to the Indian team management, as Kishan staked a claim for the no.5 spot.

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Asia Cup 2023: Rating 5 Batting Performances in Group Stage

Batters have showcased some great batting in the first half of Asia Cup 2023. Here are the picks of the lot.

89- Najmul Hasan Shanto, Bangladesh vs. Sri Lanka- 8/10

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