The biggest cricketing festival of the subcontinent, Asia Cup is all set to begin on August 31 in Pakistan. After a lot of controversies, it has come to a conclusion that the tournament will be hosted on a hybrid model basis, with the first few matches to be hosted in Pakistan, and the remaining in Sri Lanka, including the big final.
Meanwhile, in the coming edition of the tournament, six teams will be seen fighting for the coveted prize. India, Pakistan, and Nepal are part of Group 1 while Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan will fight it out in Group 2. The top two teams of each group will then qualify for the Super Four and similarly, the top two teams will then eventually play the all-important final.
Notably, in the last 15 editions of the continental cup, the batters have played a pivotal role in getting the job done. Be it in the ODI format or in the T20I, they have taken responsibility to help the team get over the line. For example, in Shahid Afridi’s charismatic innings against Bangladesh in 2010 or Virat Kohli’s 183 runs against Pakistan in the 2012 edition, batters have shown the path.
Interestingly, strike rate has become one of the most talked about things in the cricketing world these days. In the history of the Asia Cup, Shahid Afridi (139.79) has the highest strike rate among full-member countries, followed by Suresh Raina with 112.04, and at number three, it’s Virat Kohli with 108.99. On the other hand, Umran Akmal with 100.65 is at number four while Rohit Sharma with 95.04 is at number five.
However, the majority of these players have played the 50-over version of the Asia Cup and thus, players like Virender Sehwag and Sanath Jayasuriya have not found a place in the top place.
Players | Nationality | Strike Rate |
Shahid Afridi | Pakistan | 140.74 |
Suresh Raina | India | 113.95 |
Virender Sehwag | India | 113.87 |
Sanath Jayasuriya | Sri Lanka | 102.52 |
Younis Khan | Pakistan | 100.55 |
Players | Nationality | Strike Rate |
Babar Hayat | Hong Kong | 146.87 |
Rohit Sharma | India | 141.14 |
Virat Kohli | India | 132.00 |
Mohammad Rizwan | Pakistan | 117.57 |
*Last updated on 26th June 2023