Best Asian XI of the World T20 2016

The curtains came down on an eventful World T20 2016 in the India. While the West Indies won their second World T20 title, there was once again a strong Asian presence right through the tournament. Only one Asian team (India) made it to the semi-finals, however, the plethora of talent that was on show in the World T20 from the Asian sides was simply astounding, to say the least. While it is an extremely difficult job to pick out the best players but, here is the best Asian XI keeping in line with the context of the World T20. Tamim Iqbal (Bangladesh): Bangladesh’s Tamim Iqbal. (Photo by STR/AFP/Getty Images) Tamim Iqbal was the best Asian opener on the show. The 26-year old Bangladesh southpaw had been in fine form right through the World T20. In spite of missing a few matches, Tamim proved to be one of the best opening batsmen for Bangladesh. The evidence of the fact lies in the number of runs he has amassed in the current World T20. He scored 295 runs in 6 matches, with a magnificent 103 against Oman in the qualifiers. Sharjeel Khan (Pakistan): Pakistan’s Sharjeel Khan. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images) Although didn’t make a consistent impact with the bat, Sharjeel Khan was arguably Pakistan’s best batsman. His ability to strike the ball cleanly as well as lay the foundation for a Pakistani launchpad had been extraordinary. In addition, he is also Pakistan’s highest run-scorer in the context of the World T20 having smashed 112 runs in his 4 innings. Needless to say, the Pakistanis made a mess of their opportunities, winning just the one match of their 4. Virat Kohli (India): India’s Virat Kohli. (Photo by MONEY SHARMA/AFP/Getty Images) “Form is temporary, class is permanent.” And in the case of Virat Kohli, the Indian side will certainly thank their lucky stars that they have a class player within their ranks. Kohli however, opened up the possibility of a newer yet much more effective way of playing T20 cricket. His approach ensured that he was awarded the man of the tournament award. In addition, the 273 runs he smashed in the tournament sees him sit on top of the tree with the most number of runs in World T20 cricket for the second time. The word ‘unbelievable’ is an understatement to the class of the man. Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh): Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Shakib Al Hasan is an important cog in Bangladesh cricket. His explosive left-hand batting and his wily left-arm bowling have seen him become perhaps one of the best all-rounders in the world today. Despite taking his time with the bat in the World T20, Shakib delivered with the ball. He concluded the tournament for Bangladesh as the highest wicket-taker with 10 wickets to his name. However, Shakib soon found his feet with the bat as he smashed 129 vital runs in the 7 matches he played. Shahid Afridi (Pakistan): Shahid Afridi of Pakistan . (Photo by Vivek Prakash-IDI/Getty Images) It seemed almost as if Shahid Afridi waged a one-man battle against the rest of the teams that contested in Group B. Although he is in the middle of an unavoidable controversy at the moment, Afridi showed immense character by promoting himself up the order. It was something of an ‘MS Dhoni’ move. However, it worked as he was indeed successful in increasing the scoring rate by a significant margin. Despite just the 90 runs in the 4 innings, Afridi’s strike rate is simply off the charts. He boasts of a heart-pounding strike-rate of 183. Not only that, he was also Pakistan’s only specialist leg-spinner. He claimed 4 wickets to his name and is tied with Mohammad Sami with 4. MS Dhoni (India) (C & wk): India’s captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni. (Photo by PUNIT PARANJPE/AFP/Getty Images) The Indian skipper is someone you cannot leave out from any playing XI. While they say that age makes your cricketing skill slower, MS Dhoni’s case is almost the opposite. The 34-year old has seemingly become sharper than he ever was. Although it can be agreed that he cannot clear the fences as easily as he used to but, Dhoni is nothing short of a sensation. He whips the bails off in a flash accounting for a stumping dismissal almost every game. In addition, he is lightning fast between the wickets. This raises the uneasy yet tantalizing question. Is he really 34? Mohammad Shahzad (Afghanistan): Mohammad Shahzad of Afghanistan. (Photo by Pal Pillai/IDI via Getty Images) Mohammad Shahzad, as Jarrod Kimber wrote once, is a ‘real life cartoon’ character. He also wrote that should Shahid Afridi be born once more and has a huge ‘man-crush’ on MS Dhoni, he would certainly be Shahzad. An evident ‘beer-belly’ and a short stature, one would certainly not take him to be a cricketer. However, when they hear that he keeps wickets as well, the expressions on their faces would perhaps be nothing short of priceless. Apart from the 222 runs Shahzad amassed, what is even more impressive is his ability to whack the big hits over the fence. He has 12 sixes to his name, 2 behind the leader Tamim Iqbal. Mohammad Nabi (Afghanistan): Mohammad Nabi of Afghanistan. (Photo by Christopher Lee-IDI/IDI via Getty Images) Mohammad Nabi broke the ice for Afghanistan cricket by being offered a contract to play for the Quetta Gladiators in the PSL. If someone thought that the 31-year old wouldn’t have made much of an impact in the World T20 despite his obvious talent, their jaws would have fallen on the floor. As a spinner, you just don’t walk up to a batsman and ask him to give you his wicket. On the contrary, you fox him to earn the wicket. And Nabi is certainly a wily old fox, picking up 12 wickets in the tournament. He was the highest wicket-taker in the tournament. Ravichandran Ashwin (India): Indian cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin. (Photo by Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images) Ravi Ashwin is somewhat of an enigma. Apart from his talent on Twitter, Ashwin is one bowler who you could take to battle anywhere. Although his figures don’t speak much, his ability is undoubtedly exquisite. Similar to any off-spinner, Ashwin foxes the batsmen. However, what is special about the premier Indian off-spinner is his variations. He has the arm-ball, the carom-ball, the off-spinner, the leg-spinner and even the carrom ball. He is the X-Factor that skipper MS Dhoni looks up to each time a partnership is to be broken. Mustafizur Rahman (Bangladesh): Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) While the occasion seems to be a big one for Mustafizur Rahman, he is most certainly the find of the century for Bangladesh. For the first time in their history perhaps, they have a left-arm bowler who can strike fear into the minds of the batsman. And even better, he picks up wickets as and when he pleases. Although injuries have played their part, Mustafizur is an important member of the side. Five of his nine wickets in the tournament came against a quality New Zealand side. Ashish Nehra (India): Indian cricketer Ashish Nehra. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Imagine a cricketer who is 36, has always struggled with injuries and wishes to play the high action, rapid Twenty20 format, sounds a little difficult? But Ashish Nehra who made his comeback to the national team after 4 years or so in the latter half of 2015 found himself fit for the format. He was the difference in the Indian bowling. Nehra swung the ball early on, used his skills and experience to not give away anything at the start and that fetched him wickets and early breakthroughs for India. Dhoni brought him back at the death and he was dead effective there as well. Also read: Best Non-Asian XI of the World T20 2016