Asia Cup 2022: 5 bowlers Pakistan is counting on for Aug 28 match against India

Pakistan's star bowler Shaheen Afridi, who was ruled out of Asia Cup on Saturday following a knee injury, has been replaced by young pacer Mohammad Hasnain. India will face Pakistan on August 28 (Sunday).

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Afridi's replacement on Monday (August 22).

Afridi, who gave a stellar performance against India last year in T20I World Cup, will be out of the Asia Cup and subsequent T20I series against England. The left-arm fast bowler had got injured during the Test match against Sri Lanka in Galle last month.

In the absence of Afridi, Babar Azam will have to use his bowlers skillfully against Indian batters. Indian batting lineup features powerfull hitters like KL Rahul, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, Virat Kohli and Suryakumar Yadav.

Here are five Pakistani bowlers to watch out for:

1. Haris Rauf: In the absence of Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf will be the key bowler for Pakistan. Rauf, who made his T20I debut in January 24, 2020 against Bangladesh, has taken 42 wickets in 35 T20I matches so far. The right-arm medium fast bowler from Rawalpindi looks has been in good form and took 3 wickets in 7.1 overs in One Day International (ODI) match against Netherlands on August 18. In a match against Netherlands on August 16, he got 3 wickets. 

2. Mohammad Hasnain: The 22 year-old has played 18 T20I matches for Pakistan and has taken 17 wickets. He has given a some good performances in overseas cricket. He performed well in the Big Bash League (BBL), the Caribbean Premier League and English County Cricket. Until last week, he was playing for the Oval Invincibles. He already has a hat-trick in T20I cricket.

3. Usman Qadir: He is the son of former famous Pakistani leg spinner Abdul Qadir. Usman recently said that he wants to perform like his father against India if he gets a chance on August 28, Geo News reported.    

The 29-year old leg spinner has played one ODI and 18 T20I matches for Pakistan. He has also to his credit, 24 wickets in 18 matches at an average of 16.41. In Under-19 cricket, Qadir had a good run when he got nine wickets and was the joint-highest wicket taker. His action is also quite similar to his father's.

4. Naseem Shah: Naseem had arrived in the team as a replacement for Hasan Ali. He hasn't played any international T20 cricket yet. He has played only three ODIs and 13 Test matches for Pakistan. In Test cricket, he has to his name 33 wickets in 13 matches. In ODI cricket, he has taken 10 wickets in 3 matches so far. Shah got a fifer (5/33) in the third and final ODI against Netherlands which Pakistan won. He can add fire to the Pakistani bowling in Asia Cup.

5. Mohammad Wasim: Mohammad Wasim is another good bowler in the Pakistan team. Wasim made his T20I debut in July against West Indies. Since then, he has taken 17 wickets in 11 matches at an average of 15.88. In the last ODI against Netherlands, he got 4 wickets while conceding only 36 runs in his spell. Along with Naseem Shah, Pakistan stole victory from the jaws of defeat narrowly winning the game by 9 runs.

It is a good signal for the Pakistan team that their two young bowlers look in good form ahead of the Asia Cup and T20I World Cup in October.