Players from India and Pakistan could play for one team once again in the future, as the possibility of bringing back the Afro-Asia Cup is being mulled by cricketing bodies. According to reports, the tournament, which was last played in 2007 and featured players like MS Dhoni, Shoaib Akhtar, Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, and Mohammad Yusuf, could make a return after 17 long years.
As per a Forbes report, with Jay Shah set to become the new ICC president in December, discussions regarding the revival of the Afro-Asia Cup are on. In the last edition of the Afro-Asia Cup, the two teams faced each other in one T20I and three ODIs, but its returning edition may be contested in T20 format.
Amid reports of the Afro-Asia Cup set to take place once again, here’s a look at the strongest Asia XI for the tournament:
Wicketkeeper – Litton Das (Bangladesh): Litton Das opens for Bangladesh in T20Is, and the wicketkeeper-batter has 1943 runs to his name in 89 matches played so far.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (India): Yashasvi Jaiswal made his T20I debut for India against the West Indies in August 2024 and since then has been in red-hot form. In the 23 T20I matches, the 22-year-old left-handed batter has scored 723 runs with a strike rate of 164.31.
Captain – Babar Azam (Pakistan): Pakistan’s T20I captain Babar Azam is one of the three batters to score more than 4000 runs in T20Is. Even though the 29-year-old is out of form these days, there is no doubt about his quality as a batter. He will be an ideal candidate to bat in the No. 3 position for Asia XI.
Suryakumar Yadav (India): Suryakumar Yadav is one of the best T20 batters of all time. The right-handed batter, who was appointed as India’s T20I captain after Rohit Sharma retired from the shortest format of the game, has amassed a total of 2432 runs in 71 matches played so far since his debut in March 2021 against England.
Charith Asalanka (Sri Lanka): Sri Lanka’s white-ball captain Charith Asalanka has impressed with his performances in the last couple of years. He is a reliable middle-order batter who can switch gears at will and can also contribute with the ball. In 50 T20Is played so far, the 27-year-old has scored 1075 runs for the 2014 T20 World Cup.
Hardik Pandya (India): Hardik Pandya has the experience after playing 102 T20Is for India. The 30-year-old all-rounder has scored 1523 runs in the shortest format of the game in addition to dismissing 86 batters.
Wanindu Hasaranga (Sri Lanka): Former Sri Lankan T20I captain Wanindu Hasaranga has picked up 114 wickets in 71 matches played so far. The 27-year-old can also chip in with the bat if needed. But his wicket-taking abilities make him one of the finest spin bowlers in the format.
Rashid Khan (Afghanistan): Premier Afghanistan spinner Rashid Khan is the second-leading wicket-taker in T20Is. In 93 matches, the 25-year-old has managed to dismiss 152 batters. His T20s record is also one for the history books as he has already amassed over 600 wickets playing franchise cricket across the globe. Whilst also being a prime wicket-taking option, Rashid can score runs with the bat in the middle-order.
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Pakistan): Shaheen Shah Afridi, the leader of Pakistan’s pace attack has been known to be a lethal force, especially with the new ball. The 24-year-old left-arm pacer has 96 wickets to his name in 70 matches played so far for the Men in Green and could be an ideal option to start things off with the new ball.
Jasprit Bumrah (India): Jasprit Bumrah is arguably the best bowler across formats at present times, and he played a big role in helping India win the T20 World Cup title earlier this year. The 30-year-old right-arm pacer, who won the Player of the Tournament award in the 2024 T20 World Cup, has dismissed 89 batters in 70 T20Is played to date.
Matheesha Pathirana (Sri Lanka): Since making his T20I debut for Sri Lanka against Afghanistan in Dubai on August 27, 2022, CSK star Pathirana has made a big name for himself. The 21-year-old pacer, who has bowling action like legendary Lasith Malinga, has 19 wickets to his name in 12 T20Is.
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