Asia Cup gets underway on Wednesday with Pakistan taking on Nepal in their first-ever meeting in Multan. It is the first Asia Cup for Nepal who have come through the qualifiers. This is a big moment for cricket in Nepal regardless of the outcome at the end of the day.
Nepal qualified for the Asia Cup by way of emerging top in the ACC Men’s Premier Cup in April-May. They came ahead of teams such as UAE and Hong Kong, who have featured in the continental event in the past. By making it to the Asia Cup, it is a proof of their growth in international cricket.
Nepal, who won 11 of 12 ODIs to reach the ODI World Cup qualifier, have made giant strides since gaining ODI status in 2018. They’re now 15th in the world in the rankings and could well automatically make it to the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Hosts Pakistan would be galvanised by playing the Asia Cup at home. Even though they are the host nation, Pakistan could play just two home games in their own backyard – the first one being against Nepal in Multan. However, it is unlikely to keep fans away, neither would intense heat, from showing up for the clash.
The Babar Azam-led team are one of the best teams in the limited overs matches. They reached the final of Asia Cup and T20 World Cup but failed to go over the winning line.
They come into the Asia Cup on the back of a 3-0 win over Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. It helped them climb to the top of the ODI rankings. However, they are yet to back that up with a major trophy.
Nepal Squad: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(w), Bhim Sharki, Rohit Paudel(c), Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi, Sundeep Jora, Pratis GC, Arjun Saud, Mousom Dhakal, Kishore Mahato, Aarif Sheikh
Pakistan Squad: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam(c), Mohammad Rizwan(w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Tayyab Tahir, Abdullah Shafique, Usama Mir
Pakistan vs Nepal head-to-head
Pakistan and Nepal have never played against each other. It will be their first meeting across formats.
Pakistan vs Nepal time
Pakistan vs Nepal is to take place on 30 August at 3 PM IST.
Pakistan vs Nepal live streaming
Pakistan vs Nepal will be available for TV broadcast on Star Sports Network. It will be live streamed on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website.
from Firstpost Sports Latest News https://ift.tt/4IikAuW
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