Pakistan vs Nepal Cricket Match of Asia Cup 2023
Pakistan started their Asia Cup campaign with a crushing 238-run victory over Nepal in the first match of the tournament at Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. The hosts, who won the toss and opted to bat first, posted a mammoth 342 for 6 in 50 overs, thanks to brilliant centuries from captain Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed. Nepal, playing their first ever Asia Cup match, were bundled out for 104 in 23.4 overs, with Shadab Khan taking four wickets for Pakistan.
Pakistan’s innings was dominated by two record-breaking partnerships. After losing openers Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq cheaply, Babar and Mohammad Rizwan steadied the ship with a 103-run stand for the third wicket. Babar was in sublime form, hitting 14 fours and four sixes in his 131-ball 151, his 14th ODI hundred and his highest score in the format. Rizwan supported him well with a fluent 44 off 50 balls.
After Rizwan’s dismissal, Iftikhar joined Babar and the duo unleashed a brutal assault on the hapless Nepali bowlers. They added 214 runs in just 21.2 overs for the fifth wicket, the highest partnership for any wicket for Pakistan in ODIs. Iftikhar was particularly aggressive, smashing 11 fours and four sixes in his unbeaten 71-ball 109, his maiden ODI ton. Babar fell in the penultimate over, but Iftikhar ensured Pakistan crossed the 340-mark.
Nepal’s bowling was led by Sompal Kami, who took two wickets for 85 runs in his 10 overs. Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane also picked up a wicket each, but were expensive. The other bowlers failed to make any impact and conceded runs at over seven per over.
Nepal’s chase never got going as they lost wickets at regular intervals. None of their batsmen could cross the 30-run mark, with Kami and Aarif Sheikh being the top scorers with 28 and 26 respectively. Pakistan’s pace trio of Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf shared five wickets among them, while Shadab ran through the lower order with his leg-spin. Mohammad Nawaz also chipped in with a wicket as Nepal were skittled out in less than half of their allotted overs.
Babar was named the player of the match for his superb knock that set up Pakistan’s win. He said he was happy with his team’s performance and hoped to continue the momentum in the upcoming matches. Nepal’s captain Rohit Paudel said he was proud of his team’s effort despite the loss and hoped to learn from their mistakes.