Every Pakistani cricket fan and pundit is wondering the same thing before the final this Sunday: How can Pakistani bowlers get Abishek Sharma out?
Abishek Sharma is not only the highest run scorer in this year’s Asia Cup, but he has demolished every single bowling lineup, and he has not spared anyone, be it a spinner or a pacer.
Let’s break down Abishek Sharma’s performance in the tournament so far. He has scored 309 runs in 6 matches at an average of 51.50 and a strike rate of 204.63. It’s not only the consistency he has shown but the pace at which he has made those runs.
Here are all his innings in the Asia Cup so far:
Vs UAE 30 off 18 balls
Vs Pakistan 31 off 17 balls
Vs Oman 38 off 15 balls
Vs Pakistan 74 off 39 balls
Vs Bangladesh 75 off 37 balls
Vs Sri Lanka 61 off 31 balls
Impactful runs are rated the highest in cricket, and Abishek Sharma is leading that chart as well. He is at the top of the board with a total impact of 442.44.
Abishek has been winning India matches in the powerplay by giving them rapid starts, and if Pakistan is to win this final, they need to get him out early. But how can they do that? Are there any weaknesses they can exploit? They can try one of the two things:
- Bowl short of a length to him and cramp him for room
Shaheen has been in good form with the ball in the last two matches, and he is the most likely to get Abishek out early. If you watched the previous match between these two sides, Abishek Sharma did give a chance against Shaheen on the 3rd ball of the 3rd over. He tried making room, and Shaheen followed him with a short of a length ball. He got cramped and miscued his pull to short midwicket, where Muhammad Nawaz dropped a tough chance.
It is one of the likelier ways of getting him out. Shaheen and Rauf need to bowl in tandem for the first few overs. The two boundary riders should be fine leg and square leg. This way, Abishek will try to hit to the off side, and he may get cramped if the bowlers follow him. The two boundary riders will give the bowlers the cushion to save the boundary, and can also come into play if he miscues the pull shot. - Spinners bowling wider lines to him and trying to get him caught at long off
Spinners shouldn’t bowl to Abishek Sharma in the powerplay because he plays ruthlessly against them. If Abishek doesn’t get out in the powerplay, Pakistan will have to go to its spinners. They cannot bowl Nawaz or Abrar to him because he will hit them out of the park with the ball coming into him.
Salman must bring Saim Ayub against him. Saim did this thing in the last match against Bangladesh when he bowled wider balls to both Nurul Hasan and Jaker Ali. They were trying to make room, and he bowled the deliveries just inside the offside tramline. They got so away from the balls that they ended up gifting catches to the long-off fielder. Saim can do the trick again this Sunday if Abishek doesn’t get out in the powerplay. - It’s Abishek Sharma vs. Pakistan
The Indian middle order hasn’t played that well throughout the tournament, and Pakistan needs to get them in early. They need to get Abishek out if they want to make a match of it. Otherwise, he will swiftly take the game away from them. So, at the moment, it’s Abishek Sharma vs. Pakistan.
