Asia Cup 2022: What will be the impact of Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi’s absence on India and Pakistan?

Asia Cup 2022 Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Afridi’s: After much delay due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the high-profile Asia Cup is finally happening in the United Arab Emirates. The marquee event will be played from August 27 to September 11 between some top teams including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan.

One of the prime reasons behind the unreal hype for the T20 tournament has to be India vs Pakistan clash. The cricket fraternity is always eager to see the two cricketing superpowers battling it out against each other. Since India and Pakistan have a face-off in the Asia Cup or ICC events only, they take up all the limelight.

The two teams will kick start their campaign in the Asia Cup 2022 with a fight against each other on August 28 at the Dubai International Stadium. However, there is one thing common between both nations. 

Also Read: Asia Cup Qualifier 2022 – Schedule, Squad, format, Team List & Team players

Both India and Pakistan have been dealt with massive blows ahead of the T20 extravaganza. India will be without the services of their star pacer, Jaspirt Bumrah. The right-hander has been ruled out due to a back injury.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan cricket team is also sailing in the same boat. On Saturday, August 20, their mainstay pacer Shaheen Afridi was ruled out from the Asia Cup 2022. Shaheen’s knee injury has acted as a hurdle in his Asia Cup plans.

Many cricket fans believe that it is an ideal situation as both India and Pakistan will be missing their pace spearheads. The absence of two seamers has created a balance between the two sides. However, this is a massive blow for both teams and it will be hard for them to cope with the situation.

Asia Cup 2022: How Shaheen Afridi’s absence will affect Pakistan

Despite being just 22-year-old, Shaheen Afridi has carved a niche for himself in the Pakistan cricket fraternity. Owing to his disciplined and economical bowling, he is already counted as one of the finest bowlers to have ever donned the national jersey for the Asian nation.

It will be difficult for the Men in Green to play without the seamer as he has been the go-to-bowler for captain Babar Azam in a time of distress. Also, the left-arm seamers are always precious for the teams. 

If we look at his stats from the past 12 months, the youngster has featured in a total of 10 T20 Internationals picking 15 wickets. He also maintained an average of 17.73 with 3/26 being his best figure. Speaking of his overall stats in the shortest format of the game, he has played 40 matches picking 47 wickets.

One noteworthy point here is that Shaheen was the man of the match in their last outing against India. The left-hander has dismantled the wickets of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, and KL Rahul to help his team win by ten wickets. 

Asia Cup 2022: How Jasprit Bumrah’s absence will affect India

India will also be terribly missing the services of Jasprit Bumrah. The Mumbai Indians seamer has a proven track record of success and it will be hard for any player in the world to fill his shoes. 

Bumrah has always played a vital role in India’s success across all formats. The right-hander’s records speak of his greatness in the gentlemen’s game. At the age of 28, he has already established himself as a legendary player.

The Ahmedabad-born has played a total of 58 T20I games so far. He has scalped 69 wickets at an economy rate of 7.39 and an average of 23.3. 

Also Read: Asia Cup Tickets Booking: Asia Cup Tickets, Price & How to book Online ticket on Official Portal

Will Shaheen, Bumrah’s absence haunt Pakistan, India in Asia Cup?