The continental showpiece is very important for each team, as we are just two months away from the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023.
New Delhi: The much-awaited Asia Cup 2023 tournament kicked off on Wednesday, August 30, with host nation Pakistan defeating Nepal by 238 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan. The continental showpiece is very important for each team, as we are just two months away from the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. Out of the six teams that are participating in the Asia Cup, five will play in the marquee tournament in India.
Pakistan star batter Babar Azam scripted history by becoming the first captain in Asia Cup history to score 150 runs in an innings. The Pakistan captain led his side from the front during the opening match, where Babar scored 151 runs off 131 deliveries and helped his side reach 342-6 batting first.
The captains of each team have often led from the front in the marquee tournament, and as a result, there are a number of historic innings to remember. With Babar being the first captain to score 150 in the Asia Cup, it naturally became the highest score recorded by a captain in the history of the tournament.
Babar’s memorable knock is also the second-highest score ever accumulated by any batter in Asia Cup history. He is only behind India’s veteran batter Virat Kohli, who smashed a match-winning 183 runs against arch-rivals Pakistan during the 2012 Asia Cup edition in Bangladesh. From Babar Azam to Virat Kohli, let us take a look at the five highest scores by captains in Asia Cup history till now.
1) Babar Azam: As mentioned earlier, the current Pakistan skipper began the ongoing edition of the tournament with his record-breaking innings. The Men in Green captain anchored his innings and shifted gears after reaching the three-figure mark. The right-handed batter’s knock included 14 fours and four sixes for a strike rate of 115.27.
2) Virat Kohli: The former Indian skipper’s score of 136 off 122 deliveries in the 2014 edition of the tournament is one of his best innings during run chases, and it still remains the highest score by an Indian batter in the Asia Cup. Bangladesh notched up 279-7, with Mushfiqur Rahim smashing a century. Team India lost both openers Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan quickly, and then Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane added 213 runs for the fourth wicket. This helped India win the match easily.
3) Sourav Ganguly: The former Indian skipper and opener scored a brilliant unbeaten 135 runs off 124 balls, which helped the Indian side win comfortably by eight wickets against Bangladesh in the 2000 Asia Cup. In that match, Ganguly used a total of nine bowlers and restricted Bangladesh to 249-6. The left-handed batter notched up his century in 104 deliveries and then shifted gears to wrap up the inning quickly.
4) Arjuna Ranatunga: The Sri Lankan legend and World Cup-winning captain stepped up on the big occasion in the 1997 edition against India. Ranatunga scored a patient and unbeaten 131 runs off 151 deliveries to help the Lankans successfully chase down the modest 228-run target set by the Men in Blue.
5) Shoaib Malik: The former Pakistan all-rounder amassed 125 runs against the Indian side in the 2008 Asia Cup edition. However, Shoaib Malik was injured because of cramps during the 40th over. He smashed 17 boundaries and laid the foundation for Pakistan, who ended up scoring 299-4 after electing to bat first. However, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag outclassed Malik’s knock as India chased down the target easily.
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