Highest strike rates in an innings in Asia Cup: There is certainly going to be a lot of discussion around batting strike rates in the Asia Cup this year. Teams have started realising the importance of having that extra 15-20 runs on the board. This has necessitated the conversation around batting strike rates even in ODI cricket. The Asia Cup will act as a dress rehearsal for World Cup-qualified teams to test theirs striking mettle. Even before strike rates became a hot debate there were few outliers who scored amazingly quickly.
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We look at Highest strike rates in an innings in Asia Cup:
[Qualification criteria: minimum 35 balls faced]
#5 Suresh Raina – 148.52
India batted with refreshing freedom in the 2008 Asia Cup. They scored runs at rapid pace right throughout the tournament. India went bonkers in the game against Hong Kong. Virender Sehwag got the side off to a great start and from then on it was the Suresh Raina show. He smashed the Hong Kong bowlers to all parts of the ground. Raina brought up his maiden ODI ton in the process. He scored 101 off just 68 balls comprising 7 fours and 5 sixes. Raina’s strike rate of 148.52 fetches him a fifth spot on this list.
#4 Sanath Jayasuriya – 153.19
The Matara Mauler was an Asia Cup basher. Sanath Jayasuriya holds plenty of batting records in the tournament. Unsurprisingly having a highest strike rate in an innings is also one of them. In the game against Bangladesh in 2008, Jayasuriya went ballistic. He opened alongside Kumar Sangakkara in this game who helped himself to a century. The pair added 116 runs in just 14.5 overs. Jayasuriya made 72 off 47 balls at a strike rate of 153.19. His innings contained 10 fours and 3 sixes. Sri Lanka ended up scoring 357 batting first.
#3 Virender Sehwag – 166.66
Sri Lanka batted first in the finals of the 2008 Asia Cup. Sanath Jayasuriya was at it again scoring a marvellous hundred. It was his innings that took Sri Lanka to a score of 273. Considering the high-scoring nature of the tournament, it was considered to be an under-par score. Virender Sehwag opening the innings clearly showed that.
He seemed to be batting on a different level as he blasted 60 runs off just 36 balls. Sri Lanka didn’t seem to have any answers to his blitzkrieg until Ajantha Mendis took over. Sehwag’s strike rate was 166.6 while the second best for India in that innings was 76.19.
#2 Virender Sehwag – 177.27
The Nawab of Najafgarh is the only batter to feature twice on this maverick list. India showed early signs of aggression in the first-round game against minnows Hong Kong. Virender Sehwag killed the competition within the first 10 overs of India’s batting innings. He batted with gay abandon as India powered to a tall score of 374-4. Sehwag smashed 78 off 44 balls at a strike rate of 177.27. He dispatched 12 balls to boundary ropes and 2 balls over it.
#1 Shahid Afridi – 206.66
It is the only entry from a different edition of the Asia Cup. Pakistan was already in a strong position at 176-4 in 28.4 overs when Shahid Afridi the captain walked in at number 6. But it was absolute mayhem post that. Pakistan scored 171 runs in 17.2 overs of Afridi’s stay wherein he smashed 124 runs off just 60 balls. It deservingly occupies the first spot as Afridi struck at 206.66, which is almost 30 points clear of the next best!
