Asia Cup 2025: Let’s take a look at the weakest playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025
In the Asia Cup 2025, we saw several outstanding innings from the batsmen, and the bowlers also displayed their skills admirably. However, each team also included some players whose performance raised questions. So, let’s take a look at the weakest playing XI for the Asia Cup 2025.
Table of Contents
Asia Cup 2025: Top Order
The team’s opening batsmen are Pakistan’s Saim Ayub and Afghanistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Rahmanullah Gurbaz. On one hand, the young Pakistani player scored only 37 runs in seven innings, including four ducks.
On the other hand, the experienced Afghan batsman added only 57 runs in three matches. Gurbaz played cautiously rather than explosively in this tournament, which is contrary to his usual approach.
Batsman Kamil Mishara comes in at number three, scoring 74 runs in his four matches and failing to provide Sri Lanka with a solid start. His performance was quite mediocre, and Mishara will look to work on his discipline in the upcoming series.
Middle Order
Sri Lankan captain Charith Asalanka will bat at number four. Asalanka has disappointed everyone with his batting and captaincy in this tournament. In six innings, Asalanka has scored 75 runs at an average of just 24. Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha is at number five.
While Salman led Pakistan to the finals, his poor batting performance and his decision not to bowl in most matches prevented the Pakistani team from finding the right mix in the end.
Coming in at number six is Bangladesh’s Zaker Ali, who was given the responsibility of stabilizing the middle order, but he failed to live up to expectations. His lack of impressive innings forced Bangladesh to struggle to post competitive scores.
All-rounders
At number seven comes India’s experienced all-rounder, Hardik Pandya. With just four wickets and 48 runs, Hardik played fairly ordinary cricket by his standards in the Asia Cup. India’s premium all-rounder struggled with both bat and ball.
Moving forward, let’s talk about Pakistan’s spin-bowling all-rounder, Mohammad Nawaz, who failed to make an impact with both bat and ball. He scored around 100 runs and took only two wickets. For Sri Lanka, Kamindu Mendis also failed to live up to expectations.
Despite being tasked with anchoring the middle order, he consistently posted low scores and failed to perform well with the ball. The failures of both players left their teams lacking a reliable player at crucial moments.
Bowlers
The next name on this list is Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah. Known for his yorkers and wicket-taking ability, Bumrah took just seven wickets in this Asia Cup, bowling at an average of 22. He leaked runs while opening the bowling, giving the opposition a solid start.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Thushara failed to make an impact, taking just six wickets in six matches at an average of 30. He conceded a lot of runs in the powerplay and death overs, which dulled the Sri Lankan bowling attack.
As the 12th man, Bangladesh’s Shamim Hossain also failed to deliver a memorable innings, scoring 97 runs in six innings. His performance under pressure prevented Bangladesh from reaching the final.
This was CricTracker’s weakest eleven for the Asia Cup. Who would be in your team? Let us know in the comments.
