Best Asian ODI XI of the year 2020

Taijul Islam (BDESH)

Rounding off the best Asian XI for 2020 is a left-arm-spinner from Bangladesh- and it’s not someone you’ll find at the top echelons of ICC rankings! After all, 2020 has been a year full of surprises- some decidedly more unpleasant than the others. So it’s only fair that we have Taijul Islam- ahead of senior players like Mosaddek Hussain and Shakib al Hasan- as the playing XI’s final member.

In all fairness, Taijul has been a vital-cog in Bangladesh’s red-ball team over the last couple of years. But the Rajshahi-based left-arm-orthodox spinner’s ODI appearances had been pretty sporadic until last year. It wasn’t until after the national team’s dismal run in the 2019 World Cup that Taijul got his fair share of chances in the playing XI.

But going from his performances in international cricket this year, Taijul might have made a compelling case for himself. In the home series against Zimbabwe, he scalped 6-wickets from 3-matches. This includes an iconic spell of 10-0-52-3 in the second ODI. Overall, his bowling average and economy also read quite impressively at 19.50 and 4.17 respectively.

Not unlike some other players on the list, the limited number of opportunities does make the criterions somewhat one-sided for Taijul. But factoring the overall balance and abilities of the team, he becomes the perfect fit for this playing XI.