T20 World Cup 2022: Which Asian team has more chances at the World Cup?

Out of the seven concluded T20I World Cups, two have been won by the Caribbean power hitters, while three by the Asian countries. 

India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka have all won one T20I title each. Four times these three Asia countries have finished their T20I World Cup campaign as the runner-up.

But there has been a downslide. Since 2016, no Asian team has reached the finals of the T20I World Cup, but now things are looking changed.

The recently concluded Asia Cup speaks volumes about quality cricket with Asian teams

The 15th edition of the Asia Cup was the perfect teaser of what these teams will bring to Australia. With top-tier teams like India and Pakistan, we saw teams like Afghanistan and Sri Lanka giving some quality competition.

The biggest surprise from the tournament was the fairytale ending of Sri Lanka defeating India and Pakistan, winning the title.

Afghanistan, in the group stage, played highly dominating cricket which showed they keep the potential how to beat any team with their disciplined performance.

Harsha Bhogle said during the Asia Cup, "Very impressed with this Afghanistan team. They are more than just a spin bowling unit now and the batsmen have shown, not just skill but awareness too. They are on the right path, consistency will follow."

Which Asian team has more chances in the T20I World Cup?

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, who didn't even qualify for the World Cup, won the Asia Cup. They will start their world cup campaign on October 16 against Namibia in qualifiers. With Dasun Shanaka being their captain leading from the front, the team has already shown their capability in Asia Cup and are favourites from the qualifiers to be part of the main league and give a solid fight in the competition.

"If our guys perform to their strengths, I feel they can go a long way in this tournament," said Sri Lanka's skipper Dasun Shanaka when asked about his side’s chances in the T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh

Bangladesh has failed to get a good runway in the Asia Cup, but after getting Shakib Al Hasan as their captain, they have always been a team who will never back down from a good fight. They are placed in the same group as India and Pakistan.

Afghanistan 

Afghanistan cricket team has now become a team with good experience of playing against the top team. But this World Cup, they are placed probably in one of the most difficult groups of the tournament. They have Australia, England, and New Zealand with them, and thus their chances to qualify further become relatively less, keeping the strength the other team brings in. However, history can be scripted by the quality of cricket that Afghanistan now plays.

Chief selector Noor Malikzai said, "we have picked our best available players for the event, and we are hopeful of them to do well and better represent the country in the mega event."

Pakistan

"We (Pakistan) stand a really good chance of doing well at this World Cup," Waqar Younis.

Pakistan's wicket-keeper batter, Mohammad Rizwan, is in sublime touch. He was the highest run-scorer in the Asia Cup with 281 runs in six matches. When he gets handshake support from his skipper Babar Azam, they become the most dangerous batting pair of the World Cup teams. Pakistan will also have Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf in Australia, making them a deadly team if all of their stars are in form.

Waqar Younis added, "I think he (Babar) will have the impact that he has always had and then of course Rizwan is playing very well and the bowling attack they have got is one of the best in the world,".

India 

The Indian team recently suffered a major setback before the tournament. Jasprit Bumrah is expected to be ruled out of the World Cup after Ravindra Jadeja. They have strong positives in terms of Virat Kohli's resurgence and Suryakumar Yadav's form. Throughout the Asia Cup, though Bhuvneshwar Kumar was targeted for his 19th over, he also was the leading wicket-taker in Asia Cup (11). So, India will have a very successful campaign if they can keep their bowling sorted.