Here are five players worth watching in the six-nation tournament, which is a crucial warm-up for the T20 World Cup in Australia in October.
BABAR AZAM
Pakistan
With speed-critical bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi injured, Pakistan will rely heavily on Babar Azam’s fiery batting.
The 27-year-old led the T20 standings and hit the ball a day and entered the league after two great half-century as Pakistan beat the Netherlands 3-0 ODI.
He went 68 games unbeaten as his side beat India by 10 goals in the final meeting between arch-rivals in the 2021 T20 World Cup – at the same venue they met. together this Sunday.
VIRAT KOHLI
India
Star tennis player Virat Kohli will compete in his 100th T20 international match as India face Pakistan in their opening match, after being rested after a recent tour of the West Indies and Zimbabwe .
The lousy 33-year-old needs a big score. He last hit the international record in November 2019 and is experiencing the worst period of his stellar career.
Kohli, who has scored 27 centuries in 102 exams since his debut in 2011, has endured 12 harsh months and also seen him replaced as national captain.
Ravi Shastri, former India coach, said: “He got 50 points in the first game and will keep his mouth shut for the rest of the tournament.
WANINDU HASARANGA
Sri Lanka
Wanindu Hasaranga has impressed with his footwork in this year’s Indian Premier League, making 26 tackles in 16 games to raise his stock as an influential pitcher.
Along with spinners Maheesh Theekshana, Jeffery Vandersay and Praveen Jayawickrama, he will lead Sri Lanka’s bowling team on the UAE’s rotation-friendly slow courts.
Hasaranga, 25, who doesn’t play at The Hundred in England because Sri Lanka wants him fresh for the Asian Cup and T20 World Cup, is also a pretty handy bottom player.
SHAKIB AL HASAN
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan is often controversial on and off the pitch but he remains Bangladesh’s most consistent player and returns to lead the team.
The almighty star was told to sever ties with a gambling portal to regain the captaincy of Bangladesh, who have won only two of their last 15 Twenty20 games.
The 35-year-old, left-handed pitcher and spinner, will play the T20’s 100th match as Bangladesh open their Asian Cup campaign against Afghanistan on Tuesday.
RASHID KHAN
Afghanistan
Rashid Khan will be the Afghan bowler in the battle for the Asian crown with the extreme leg breaker with 112 shots in 66 international T20 tournaments.
The 23-year-old has been a huge hit in the Twenty20 global tournaments, including IPL and The Hundred, with his low-ball catch and strike.
Rashid will be a key player for the team alongside captain Mohammad Nabi and will share rotation duties with Mujeeb ur Rahman and Noor Ahmad.
