Asia Cup 2023: Top 5 Players to Watch out for

The Asia Cup 2023 has seen group-stage matches happening both in Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Though the games in Sri Lanka have been rain-hit matches, in Pakistan the games had no interruptions. 

In the limited matches that have happened, it was interesting and a pleasure to note the performances of youngsters. Despite the presence of veterans of the game, young players have stepped up to the occasion. They have delivered match-winning performances for their respective countries. 

A multi-nation tournament like the Asia Cup brings the scope for these budding superstars of cricket to flourish. The Asia Cup serves as the perfect platform just before the World Cup. They can carry forward the confidence from here on. This series of matches can produce the second lot of probable Shakib Al Hasan, Virat Kohli, and Lasith Malinga kind of elite cricket stars.

In the same vein, Let's have a look at the emerging players for Asia Cup 2023:

5. Najmul Hossain Shanto

Bangladesh's new batting talent Najmul Hossain Shanto has been a revelation for his team of late. The southpaw batter was an emerging cricketer of his country. He was expected to be an excellent batting prospect, but after a series of disappointments, he's now coming into his groove. 

Shanto is a solid compact top-order batter. In the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup, he started off brilliantly. In the first match against Sri Lanka, he stood alone in one end and scored a gritty knock of 89. In the next match against Afghanistan, a must-win one for Bangladesh, he delivered again. This time partnering with Mehidy Hasan Miraz, he touched the three-figure mark. 

With Tamim Iqbal and Litton Das (for the first phase) missing out, Najmul Shanto got a golden chance to display his performances. Unfortunately, after the second match, he got himself ruled out from the entire Asia Cup 2023 due to an injury. The severity of the injury is unknown yet and whether he'll be available for the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023 still remains a mystery. Even if he misses out, he has age by his side to come back into the national squad and cement his place in the future.