The 17th edition of the Asia Cup commenced on September 9. Eight teams are competing in the tournament, which is being played across two venues in the United Arab Emirates. While batting and bowling displays have been exemplary from some of the teams, the same cannot be said about the fielding efforts the tournament has witnessed, with plenty of catches being dropped.
India and Pakistan progressed to the Super Fours from Group A. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh made it to the Super Fours from Group B.
On Friday, September 19, the group stage of the marquee event ended as India beat Oman in an inconsequential affair.
Asia Cup 2025: 3 worst fielding teams of the tournament so far
3. Oman
Oman do not have a reputation of being a great fielding side. They bank on experience as only a handful of their players are below 30 years of age. The Jatinder Singh-led side struggled with their fielding display in the tournament.
They missed catches, their ground fielding was disappointing, and 31-year-old wicketkeeper Vinayak Shukla did not look too confident behind the stumps. Some sloppy work in the field meant that they could not build consistent pressure on their opponents.
2. Afghanistan
Afghanistan are known for putting their heart and soul into matches, especially in important multi-national events like the Asia Cup. A lot of their players take part in franchise leagues around the world, which requires them to maintain good fitness levels and stop as many runs as they can on the field.
However, the Blue Tigers slipped under the radar with their performances in the Asia Cup. They failed to set the tone in their first game of the campaign, missing two catches and a few run out opportunities against Hong Kong. Rashid Khan's men couldn't learn from their mistakes in the following matches and eventually crashed out of the tournament in the first round itself.
1. Hong Kong
While expectations were not too high from Hong Kong, who were placed in a tough group, they would not be happy with their fielding throughout the campaign. They could have created history in the game against Sri Lanka, but their catching let them down.
Defending a target of 150, the Hong Kong bowlers built pressure by bowling to their plans. However, the fielders could not back them up. As many as six catches were put down as Sri Lanka reached the target with just four wickets and seven balls to spare. Had Hong Kong held on to their catches, they would have registered their first-ever win in the T20 Asia Cups.
