Pakistan Defeat Nepal by 238 Runs in 1st ODI Match

LAHORE MIRROR – Pakistan won the First ODI match of Asia Cup 2023 by defeating Nepal with a substantial margin of 238 runs at Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Earlier, Green Shirt won the toss and decided to bat first in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023 against Nepal at the National Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan Team set a massive target of 343 runs in 50 overs after winning the toss in the first match of the series.

Skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed led the green shirt from the front and set the target of 243 on the scoreboard for Pakistan with brilliant centuries.

Asia Cup campaign begins in style! 💪

4️⃣ wickets for @76Shadabkhan as Pakistan achieve their third-highest margin of victory in ODIs ✨#PAKvNEP | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/GmTk0tKCbp

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2023

Iftikhar Ahmed remained not out on 109 runs in 71 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes.

Both batsmen set a new record in the 1st ODI by scoring 214 runs off 131 balls, establishing the highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs for Pakistan.

In the meanwhile, Babar was dismissed after scoring 151 runs in 131 balls which included 14 fours and four sixes.

Asia Cup opener is taking place at Multan Cricket Stadium as Pakistan hosts the regional cricket event of after 15 years.

2️⃣1️⃣4️⃣ runs off 1️⃣3️⃣1️⃣ balls – highest fifth-wicket partnership in ODIs for Pakistan 🥇🤝

How good were these two today❓#PAKvNEP | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/sjG4f0weSQ

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2023

Azam, 28, broke former South Africa batter Hashim Amla’s record as he became the fastest player to 19 ODI centuries. He reached this feat in just 102 innings while Amla did it in his 104th.

It must be noted that Babar Azam came to bat after Pakistan had an early collapse as they were 25-2 after Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq lost their wickets.

The 28-year-old stood tall on the crease and formed a crucial 86-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan before the wicketkeeper batter got run out in a bizarre way. Rizwan scored 44 runs in 50 balls.

After Rizwan lost his wicket, Salman Agha (5) came to bat he, too, did not last long and lost his wicket while attempting a reverse-sweep shot to Nepal’s Sandeep Lamichhane.

After Agha’s wicket, Azam formed a solid partnership of 214 runs in only 131 balls with Iftikhar Ahmed.

Nepal, as a team, and Multan, as a venue, will make their debut in the Asia Cup. It is also the first match between Pakistan and Nepal at the top level.

Pakistan entered the Asia Cup on a high as they topped the ICC rankings for ODI teams on Saturday after a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. This is the second time the Pakistan team topped the chart since April.

Teams: 

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (wk), Rohit Paudel (c), Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, Lalit Rajbanshi

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf