The ongoing Asia Cup 2025 has seen quite a lot of talking points in terms of how respective teams and their players have played throughout the tournament. While a few players have displayed stellar outings in the continental tournament, there have been a handful of players who have not had a campaign to remember as far as output is concerned.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be played from early February to early March. While the exact fixture list or squads are yet to be released, many analysts
and cricketers-turned-commentators have already drafted their potential squads for the mega event. In reality, too, the players who have underperformed in Asia Cup 2025 may not make it to their respective squads at the 20-team mega cricketing event next year.
Here are 5 players likely to miss out T20 World Cup after poor Asia Cup
5. Saim Ayub
A lot was expected from Saim Ayubduring the Asia Cup. The left-handed batter was expected to provide Pakistan with explosive starts inside the powerplay. However, his tournament with the bat has offered little to cheer. Ahead of the final against India, Ayub has bagged four ducks in six innings.
On the other hand, Ayub has been quite handy with his off spin. He has used his variations to good effect to get rid of some renowned batters and keep the rate in check. But he is only a part-time bowler, and the Men in Green have specialist bowlers in their rank. Therefore, he might not make it to the final squad for the upcoming international tournament.
4. Kamil Mishara
Kamil Misharawas recalled to the Lankan Lions' T20I setup after a hiatus of almost three-and-a-half years on the back of impressive outings in the domestic circuit. Within a week of an unbeaten 73-run knock against Zimbabwe in a bilateral series, he bagged the Player of the Match award for a composed 46* off 32 against Bangladesh.
Things only went downhill from that point. His painstaking 18-ball 19 against Hong Kong was followed by a couple of single-digit scores. Mishara was dropped from the XI after this. He was replaced by reinforcements in the bowling department, since the Lankans already had a stacked top-order line-up. He may be given a few more games, but isn't certainly a guarantee for making it to the World Cup squad.
3. Shoriful Islam
The tall Shoriful Islamis considered as a lethal fast bowling weapon, especially in the white-ball formats. Coming into the tournament, he was expected to complement the other pacers in Bangladesh's versatile bowling unit.
Shoriful ended up playing only two out of the six matches the Tigers played throughout the tournament. He was dropped after conceding 26 runs in three overs against Sri Lanka after coming in for Taskin Ahmed. Shoriful was given another shot against the same opposition during the Super Four stage. He ended up being Bangladesh's most expensive bowler, conceding 49 runs in his quota.
2. Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson did not get to bat at his natural position up top throughout the tournament. He did not get to bat in India's first couple of group-stage matches (nine-wicket win against the UAE and seven-wicket win against Pakistan). On a tricky Abu Dhabi deck, a 45-ball 56 earned Sanju the Player of the Match award. However, his inability to make proper use of the powerplay was a glaring issue amongst the fraternity.
He played a rather passive knock against Pakistan next up. Samson scored only one boundary in the 17 balls he was at the crease. Despite a 23-ball 39 against Sri Lanka in the final game of the Super Four, it could well be the case that Samson does not get slotted into the squad for the T20 World Cup, purely due to the stiff competition for the middle-order as well as the saturated top-order scenario.
1. Salman Ali Agha
Salman Ali Agha was made Pakistan's full-time T20I skipper with the dropping of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan a few months prior to the Asia Cup. Barring decent captaincy tenure during the tournament, Agha's impact with bat or ball have been severely underwhelming.
He has scored only 64 runs in 82 deliveries, with only four fours and a singular six being scored in the lead up to the final against India. Agha has used himself sparingly with the ball too, bowling himself in only two matches up until now. It is highly unlikely that a permanent captain does not find his way into the squad of an upcoming tournament. However, he could face pressure if he fails to deliver in the summit clash.
