Asia Cup 2016: 6 less-known players who could take the tournament by storm!

Every player is a valuable asset to a team in his own way. There are many players who live under the shadow of star players in their team when they start their international careers, but their contribution to the team is of no less importance.

Teams have a tendency to make plans for the star players from the opposition and often tend to forget to focus on relatively newer players, which can turn out to be troublesome for their fortunes in a big tournament like the Asia Cup.

When the battle of Asian supremacy starts on February 24 in Bangladesh, some young individuals will play their first big tournament in international cricket.

It is their chance to showcase their talent along with their mettle. Here is their chance to take the Asia Cup T20 by storm just before the ICC World T20.

Here are few cricketers who could prove to be match-winners for their teams in the Asia Cup 2016.

#1 Pawan Negi (India)

Negi was the most expensive Indian cricketer in Vivo IPL auction 2016

Without playing a single match for his country, this 23-year-old cricketer has become a household name thanks to the Vivo IPL 2016 auction where he became the most expensive Indian player.  Negi is an experienced T20 player and has been playing in IPL since 2012.

His all-round abilities make him a dangerous T20 player. In 56 Twenty20 matches, he has scored 479 runs at an average of 19.16 and at a strike-rate of almost 135. Along with his batting performance, he has also picked up 46 wickets with his slow left-arm orthodox bowling.

His bowling is his biggest asset and has a very impressive bowling average of 26.28 in T20s. He is also a very economical bowler. He has the variations to destroy any batting line-up, especially in sub-continental conditions.

Who can forget his outstanding spell of 5/22 against Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2014? Negi is surely a player to watch out for in the upcoming Asia Cup.

#2 Aamir Kaleem (Oman)

Kaleem is Oman’s third highest run-getter in T20Is

The 34-year-old left-handed batsman is one of the main reasons for Oman’s participation in the Asia Cup this year.  He is the third highest run-scorer for Oman is T20Is with 117 runs in 5 matches.
The middle-order batsman has the highest average of 39 among the Oman batsmen. He is the finisher in the team and likes to stay at the crease till the end.

Along with an impressive average, he also has a good strike-rate of 120.61 in T20Is. This is Oman’s first big tournament and Aamir’s form will be very crucial for them to succeed in the tournament.

#4 Yamin Ahmadzai (Afghanistan)

Yamin is Afghanistan's latest new ball bowler.

Yamin Ahmadzai is the new face of Afghanistan’s pace-attack and was recently selected for the Asia Cup squad. The 23-year-old is a tall bowler who likes to hit the deck hard.

In 5 T20Is so far the right-arm pacer picked up 5 wickets at an astonishing average of 13 and a strike-rate of 8.6. He is comfortable with both bowling up front in the powerplays and also in the death overs.

In 5 first-class matches, Yamin picked up 22 wickets which made the selectors look at him. Afghanistan will be banking on him for early breakthroughs in the tournament.

#3 Kasun Rajitha (Sri Lanka)

Rajitha celebrates an Indian wicket in Pune. 

The young fast-bowler from Sri Lankan took the whole world by surprise when he picked up two wickets in his first over in international cricket, against India. He is certainly one of Sri Lanka’s brightest youngsters.

The 22-year-old has picked up 3 wickets in 2 T20Is against India at an average of 24.66. In 17 Twenty20 matches, he picked up 34 wickets at a very impressive average of 13.55 and a strike-rate of 11.2.

With his variations, especially slower balls, he is a very tough customer to score. He has the ability to extract extra bounce from the surface in any condition. He is a player who can surely take the upcoming Asia Cup by storm.

#5 Rumman Raees (Pakistan)

Raees is expected to make his debut in the Asia Cup.

Pakistan have the knack for producing promising fast bowlers and this 24-year-old from Karachi is the latest. The left-arm pacer was selected for Pakistan’s Asia Cup squad after an impressive Pakistan Premier League (PSL) show.

In 7 PSL matches, he picked up 3 wickets for the Islamabad United. But he was instrumental for the Pakistan-A side where he picked up 8 wickets in 4 T20 matches.

In 44 T20 matches, Raees has picked up 39 wickets. He is quick and has the variations needed in the modern game. He has also got the ability to swing reverse.

He becomes extremely difficult for the left-handers because of his natural angle and away swingers. Raees has the potential to light up the Asia Cup.

#6 Sabbir Rahman (Bangladesh)

Sabbir celebrates his fifty against Pakistan

The talented 24-year-old batsman from Rajshahi is undoubtedly one of Bangladesh’s upcoming superstars. The right-handed middle-order batsman is a very good limited-overs player and can play big shorts with ease.

So far in 14 T20Is he has scored 281 runs at an average of 28.10 and a strike-rate of 116.59 which doesn’t justify his potential. In this year’s Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) Sabbir had a great time as his team Barisal Bulls finished as runners-up of the tournament.

His 79-run knock in the semi-finals against Rangpur Riders was instrumental for Bulls reaching the final. In 13 BPL matches, this season Sabbir has scored 189 runs at an average of 18.90. Apart from batting his excellent fielding skills is another plus point for Bangladesh.

The fact that Asia Cup will be played in the Indian sub-continent, his part-time off-break bowling can become handy as well. He is definitely one of the players to watch out for in the upcoming tournament.

source:sportskeeda.com

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