Current best Asian XI in T20 cricket

Asian teams have produced some of the biggest T20 stars of the world.

View : 115.1K

2 Min Read

Babar Azam
Babar Azam. (Photo Source: Twitter)

Ever since the inception of Twenty20 cricket, Asian teams have always been dominant. Out of the six world T20 tournaments that have been played so far, three have been won by the Asian teams. Asian teams have produced some of the biggest T20 stars of the world. India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh are always highly regarded in this format and with the emergence of Afghanistan that list has just got longer.

From Babar Azam to Rashid Khan and Jasprit Bumrah, there are many T20 stars among Asian countries that are playing the shortest format of the game. In our article, we take a look at the current best T20 players who can form the best XI from Asian teams.

Here’s the best Asian T20 XI of the current players

1. Rohit Sharma

Rohit Sharma
Rohit Sharma. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

The man with the joint-fastest T20I century, Rohit Sharma just walks into the side. He played a good part in India winning the inaugural World T20 in South Africa and since then he hasn’t looked back in this format.

To add to his international achievements, he has also led Mumbai Indians to four IPL titles and is the most successful IPL captain and player of all time. He is the third leading run-scorer in the history of the IPL only behind Suresh Raina and Virat Kohli.

He is the leading run-scorer in T20I cricket and 3rd on the list of most sixes in T20Is. This makes it very easy to pick him in the Asian best XI.

2. Babar Azam

Babar Azam
Babar Azam. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The No 1 T20 batsman in the ICC rankings, Babar Azam is the latest batting sensation from Pakistan. His performances in this format have been outstanding and is perhaps the lone batting match-winner in the Pakistan side.

He can be the aggressor that allows Rohit to build on for long innings. His ability to play pace and spin equally well makes him the player whom the opposition fears. Babar can also shift the gears in the latter half of the innings while the rest of the batting continues to revolve around him.

He has a very cool head on his shoulders and even though he bats at No 3 for the Men in Green, it is very easy to fit him as an opener for our Asian 11.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

It’s a no brainer to have Virat Kohli at No 3 in our team. He is arguably one of the greatest T20 batsmen of all-time. Second on the list of highest run-scorers in IPL. Kohli holds the record of scoring most tuns in an IPL season ever when he amassed an unbelievable 973 runs in the 2016 edition.

Kohli is also the only player to have won two Man of the Tournament awards in two different T20 World Cups. A run chasing machine, Kohli just picks himself at No 3. He gives the much-needed stability that every successful T20 team needs.

Playing under MS Dhoni helps him bring the best out of himself as the batsman. The 30-year-old is always involved in the game and also manages to get his team up in tough situations more often than not.

4. Shakib Al Hasan

Shakib al Hasan
Shakib al Hasan. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The No 1 all-rounder in this format for the longest time, Shakib Al Hasan is the kind of player that every team craves for. A solid batsman at No 4 and can chip in with 4 overs as and when required. He also has the ability to hit big shots as per the game situation.

He reminded everyone of the kind of skills he possesses in the recently concluded World Cup and is in the form of his life. In the shortest format, Shakib’s value increases multifold and he has proved it time and again while playing for Bangladesh at the highest level.

With that kind of experience and pedigree, Shakib can provide a perfect balance to the team. With Kohli at three and the finishers to follow, the left-hander will hold one end up in case Babar Azam fails to guard his wicket at times.

5. MS Dhoni (C & WK)

MS Dhoni
MS Dhoni. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

3 IPL titles, 1 World T20, a couple of champions league trophies, MS Dhoni has done everything a captain could do in T20 cricket. He has been the greatest finisher the game has ever seen and has often been touted as ‘The fastest hands in the east’ for his wicket keeping. His captaincy skills have been as good as anyone in the game.

More than anything, MS Dhoni is known for his smart cricketing brain and he calculates the game perfectly. May it be while leading the side or playing only as a player, the veteran is alert behind the wickets and has outsmarted best of the batsmen with his stumping.

So, it makes is very easy to have Dhoni as the wicketkeeper and captain of this team. Though many might argue that his skills are on the wane, MS Dhoni will always be the skipper of many cricketers no matter what.

6. Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya
Hardik Pandya. (Photo by MARTY MELVILLE/AFP/Getty Images)

A batsman who can clear the boundary with ease and that too from the word go is priceless quality to have in T20 cricket. Add to that his bowling and athletic fielding, Hardik Pandya could be the X-factor of any team.

His power hitting was on full display during the IPL 2019 where he demolished every bowling attack in the tournament with absolute brutality. He continued his form in the World Cup 2019 as well helping India finish with 10-20 runs more often than not.

He has also improved drastically with the ball in the hand and has emerged as the third seamer for India. In this team, he will perform a similar role and will bat a tad higher at number 6.

7. Mohammad Nabi

Mohammad Nabi
Mohammad Nabi. (Photo Source: Twitter)

The man who almost created the biggest upset in the history of World Cup when he took Afghanistan so close to winning their match against India. Mohammad Nabi has played for as many as 10 franchises across the globe and has been at the fulcrum of Afghanistan’s cricket.

He is a complete T20 player that every team wants and thus has played for so many franchises. He can be an anchor as well as an enforcer. With the ball, he can deceive the batsman with loopy ones and also surprise them with quicker darts.

He can be a floater that a successful T20 team needs and also a 4-over bank if it is a turning pitch. It is a no brainer to have him in our side.

8. Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi
Rashid Khan and Mohammad Nabi. (Photo Source: Getty Images)

After Sunil Narine, if there is any spinner who had such an impact on this format it is Rashid Khan and this man has rather leapfrogged the Caribbean. He has been the No 1 ranked T20 bowler for quite a while now and has been an out and out match-winner for the teams he has played for.

He also possesses the ability to hit the long ball in the death overs and has proved his mettle in the IPL more than once. Despite so much analysis available these days, the batsmen have found it tough to pick Rashid which is the leggie’s greatest strength.

His ability to picks wickets and also keep the runs down makes him the best T20 spinner and an obvious choice for our team. Rashid will no doubt bowl four overs and if needed, add some important runs with the bat in the death overs.

9. Lasith Malinga

Lasith Malinga
Lasith Malinga. (Photo Source: MICHAEL BRADLEY/AFP/Getty Images)

Arguably the greatest T20 bowler the world has ever seen. Lasith Malinga has always been a captain’s delight be it in the powerplay or in the death, for Sri Lanka at the international level and the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League.

With 170 wickets to his name, he is the most successful bowler in the history of IPL and has been a pioneer for MI success over the years. In a survey done in 2017, he was rated as the Most Valuable Player ever in the history of the cash-rich league.

A player of such stature and experience brings a lot to the table and just walks into our side. Depending on the situation, he will deliver his overs and the skipper of Dhoni’s calibre will always preserve him for the final overs.

10. Jasprit Bumrah

Jasprit Bumrah
Jasprit Bumrah. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)

If there is any bowler who is replicating Malinga’s success in this format it is Jasprit Bumrah. He is the owner of the best yorker in world cricket right now. Bumrah was mentored by Malinga himself while playing at MI and currently is the best bowler in the world across formats.

His ability to pick wickets with the old and the new ball makes him the biggest threat for the opposition. Also, after playing Test cricket more, Bumrah has added more variations to his kitty which has made him almost unplayable.

He was one the architects of MI triumph in IPL 2019 and was one of the leading bowlers at the World Cup. He is India’s diamond and the selectors are rightfully managing his workload to keep him injury-free.

11. Mohammad Amir

Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir. (Photo by Hagen Hopkins/Getty Images)

No one can forget Mohammad Amir’s spell against India in the 2016 Asia Cup where he looked literally unplayable and it seemed like he might get the entire opposition out in his 4 over spell. As Virat Kohli has said previously, there are very few better new ball bowlers in the world than Amir.

He surely justified that tag as he picked 19 wickets in the recently concluded World Cup and was Pakistan’s brightest light. Interestingly, Amir was not even the part of Pakistan‘s preliminary World Cup squad and was only included in the team a week before the tournament got underway.

With Bumrah and Malinga in the side to take care of the death overs, Amir could bowl all his 4 overs with the new ball where he is most effective.

Get every cricket updates! Follow Us:

googletelegraminstagramwhatsappyoutubethreadstwitter

Download Our App

For a better experience: Download the CricTracker app from the IOS and Google Play Store