Asia Cup 2018: Rating the six teams on a scale of 1-10
In the Asia Cup 2018, six teams took part. Out of the 6 teams, Team India emerged victorious. On a scale of 1 to 10, here is the rating of the performances of the six teams who participated in the Asia Cup 2018.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka had a disastrous Asia Cup. They started the first match on a good note when Lasith Malinga took two wickets in the very first over of the tournament. That was followed by the injury to Tamim Iqbal. Everything was going Sri Lanka’s way and they seemed to be in total control.
But, that innings from Mushfiqur Rahim took the wind out of Sri Lanka’s sails. The bravery shown by Tamim Iqbal inspired the Bangladesh bowlers to a different level. The Bangladesh bowlers bundled out the Sri Lankans for 124 runs. Sri Lanka lost the match by 137 runs.
In their second group match against Afghanistan, Sri Lanka would have loved to win the toss and bat first. But it was Afghanistan who batted first and scored 249. That score seemed to be far too much for Sri Lanka as they crashed out for 158.
Sri Lanka had the shortest existence in this Asia Cup as they were knocked out on the third day of the tournament. The absence of Dinesh Chandimal didn’t help their cause.
For their poor performance in the Asia Cup, Sri Lanka get 3 on a scale of 10.
Hong Kong
Hong Kong were given ICC recognition for the Asia Cup alone. But, they didn’t do any harm to their future prospects by performing reasonably well in the Asia Cup.
Hong Kong’s first match against Pakistan went as per prediction when they lost to Pakistan by eight wickets.
It was in their second match against India, Hong Kong showed their mettle. They made India sweat for their win. Chasing a target of 286 for a win, Honk Kong were comfortably placed at 174 for no loss in 34 overs. There were some anxious faces among the Indian players and the fans. But once the opening partnership was broken, Hong Kong didn’t have the experience in the middle-order to pull off an upset. India won by a narrow margin of 26 runs.
The Hong Kong openers Nizakat Khan (92) and Anshuman Rath (73) displayed to the world what they were capable of doing. With more matches under their belt, Hong Kong could become the next Afghanistan.
For their improved performance against India, Hong Kong deserve 5 out of 10.