Asia Cup 2018 Final: 3 Reasons Why The Team Winning The Toss Should Bat First

The ongoing Asia Cup has been no less than a roller coaster ride. In the end, the two best teams in the tournament - India and Bangladesh - are playing in the final. One can argue that Afghanistan deserved to be there, but the cruelty of the result-oriented close games meant that Afghanistan - who won both their matches in the group stage, ended the super fours stage without registering even one victory there.

However, now that we are less than 24 hours away from the final, it is tomorrow's game that really matters. The nature of the pitches in UAE has not been near the conventional one-day pitches around the world in today's time.

That is one reason I feel it would be a safe option for the team winning the toss to bat first. Let's have a look at a few reasons why it would be best to bat first after winning the toss.

Slow Nature of the Pitches

The pitches used in the ongoing Asia Cup, whether in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi, have been relatively slow compared to most one-day pitches around the world. Plus, the pitch slows down as the game proceeds into the night. Lack of humidity is also not helping the dew factor, which means no extra help for the batsmen.

Teams have found it difficult to chase targets. In fact, in the eight matches when a score of 200 or more has been posted, only once has the team batting second successfully chased down the target.

With batsmen from both teams having enjoyed a fair run with the bat, chances of a 250-plus score are quite likely. In such a case, none of the captains would risk their chances by putting the other team in to bat.

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