Afghanistan side [PC: Twitter]
The team that will be looking to surprise everybody with their performance in Asia Cup 2022 will be Afghanistan. The crop of players that they have is talented enough to pull up some upsets in the tournament.
First of all, let us take a look at the Afghanistan squad that will be going to UAE for the Asia Cup.
Mohammad Nabi (C), Najibullah Zadran (VC), Afsar Zazai (WK), Azmatullah Omarzai, Farid Ahmad Malik, Fazal Haq Farooqi, Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Ibrahim Zadran, Karim Janat, Mujib ur Rahman, Naveen ul Haq, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz (WK), Rashid Khan and Samiullah Shinwari
So, what does the squad let us know, how far can Afghanistan go in the tournament?
Strength
World Class Spinners
The presence of Rashid Khan, Mujib Ur Rahman, Noor Ahmad, and Mohammad Nabi makes Afghanistan a very strong spin bowling unit. Most of these players have enough experience playing franchise cricket in all parts of the world. They will be one of the most important reasons for carrying the team forward in the tournament.
Stable Middle Order
The squad has a good accumulation of stable middle order batters. The likes of Hashmatullah Shahidi, Hazratullah Zazai, Najibullah Zadran, and Karim Janat will be good enough to give the Afghans a strong foundation. The foundation laid by these batters could later be exploited by big hitters like Md. Nabi and Rashid Khan in the death overs.
Weakness
Non-Dependable Openers
The presence of Rahmanullah Gurbaaz in the top order gives a bit of explosiveness to the batting line up. But Gurbaz is a sort of hit-or-miss kind of player and therefore a decent start is not guaranteed in every match. Besides, there is no clear idea as to who will open the innings with Gurbaaz, there has been too much chopping and changing for the team at the top of the order.
Inconsistent Pace attack
The pace attack of the team comprising Fazal Haq Farooqi, Naveen ul Haq, Azmatullah Omarzai, and Karim Janat does not look too threatening. The lack of experience in the pace attack appears to be the biggest weakness for Afghanistan.
Opportunities
Rahmanullah Gurbaaz
Rahmanullah Gurbaaz is the wicket keeper and opener batter of the team. He is known for his attacking style of batting. But the major concern is his inconsistency. The team will look at him for some fiery starts but they will benefit if it happens on a consistent basis.
This Asia Cup will be an opportunity for Gurbaaz to prove himself as an explosive yet consistent opener and competent enough to handle a world class bowling attack.
Threats
Over Dependence on Rashid Khan
Rashid Khan is the star of the Afghanistan team. The only person they look up to under pressure situations is this man. Be it batting or bowling, in the crunch Rashid is the go to man for Afghanistan and it is very concerning. They need to find players who can put their hands up when the team needs them and share the workload of Rashid.
Strongest XI
Also Read: Asia Cup 2022: Team Analysis - Pakistan
 "Probuddha Bhattacharjee")
