Connect with us

Sports

Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan hand 343-run target to Nepal as Babar, Iftikhar hit tons

Published

on

  • Pakistan hosts the regional cricket event after 15 years. 
  • Match being played at Multan Cricket Stadium.
  • Nepal make their debut as a team in Asia Cup.

MULTAN: Pakistan set a massive target of 343 runs in 50 overs against Nepal on Wednesday in the opening match of Asia Cup 2023 at the Multan Cricket Stadium.

The Green Shirts won the toss and decided to bat against Nepal in the first match of the series. 

Skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed led the way for Pakistan with brilliant centuries.

Ahmed remained unbeaten on 109 runs in 71 balls with the help of 11 fours and four sixes.

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 after 15 years. 

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 enter 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.

Lineups

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

Latest News

Sajid Khan smashes Saqlain Mushtaq’s 24-year-old Test record in Pakistan vs England.

Published

on

By

In the opening Test match between Pakistan and England at the Multan Cricket Stadium, off-spinner Sajid Khan created history by taking seven wickets, shattering the 24-year-old record set by the late, great Saqlain Mushtaq.

Day three of the second Test saw England eliminated for 291 after seven wickets from Sajid Khan, trailing Pakistan’s first innings by 366 runs.

During the morning session, the 31-year-old off-spinner claimed three of the four wickets that fell, making it his second five-wicket haul of the day. England had resumed at 239-6 in Multan.

Remaining wicket-taker for Pakistan, with statistics of 3-101, was left-arm spinner Noman Ali.

Sajid Khan ended up being the first Pakistani off-spinner to take five or more wickets at home since Saqlain Mushtaq did it in 2000 at Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, taking seven wickets for 111 runs in 26.2 overs.

The scoreboard read 239-6 when England had already resumed their batting. At the crease were Jamie Smith (12) and Brydon Carse (2).

But in the morning, Sajid Khan replaced Carse after they could only add nine more runs. After reaching 21, Smith was caught by Noman, and the off-spinner quickly got rid of Matthew Potts (6).

Prior to Sajid finishing the batting, Jack Leach amassed a vital 25-run unbeaten innings. He and Shoaib Bashir (9) added 29 runs for the final wicket.

Noman grabbed three wickets at a cost of 101 runs, while Sajid took figures of 7-111.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Second Test between Pakistan and England: Pakistan fights to 366/10 on day two

Published

on

By

Pakistan chose to bat in the second Test match between England and Pakistan in Multan, and by the second session on Day 2, they had amassed 358/9.

(123.3 ov) 366/10

Despite having a hip injury, Aamer Jamal made a significant contribution to the score alongside Noman Ali before being dismissed for 37 runs by Brydon Carse.

As Pakistan tries to extend their first innings score, Noman Ali, who is 29, is still undefeated. With three wickets for forty-three runs, Carse has been very effective. Spinner Shoaib Bashir has also taken a wicket.

The early England wicket burst and the solid 49-run stand between Jamal and Noman have kept the match evenly matched.

England’s goal in opening their batting innings will aim to remove the final Pakistani wicket as soon as possible.

Continue Reading

Latest News

The PCB has issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar Zaman about a post about Babar Azam.

Published

on

By

The newly constituted selection committee on Sunday excluded Babar, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Sarfaraz Ahmed off the roster for the ongoing second and forthcoming third Test against England.

Subsequent to the announcement, Fakhar Zaman utilized his official X (previously Twitter) account to convey his disappointment. He referenced the manner in which India handled Virat Kohli throughout his challenging period from 2020 to 2023.

“It is troubling to receive proposals regarding the dismissal of Babar Azam.” Fakhar stated that India did not bench Virat Kohli during his challenging period from 2020 to 2023, when he recorded averages of 19.33, 28.21, and 26.50, respectively.

The left-handed batsman commended Babar, deeming him the greatest Pakistani batsman in history, while emphasizing the necessity of strategic decisions instead of resorting to panic.

“Sidelining our premier batsman, arguably the finest Pakistan has ever produced, may convey a profoundly negative message to the team.” There remains an opportunity to avert unnecessary alarm; our emphasis should be on protecting our pivotal actors rather than compromising them,” he stated.

Subsequently, the next day, the PCB issued a show-cause notice to Fakhar for violating the Code of Conduct. The cricket board has requested the dynamic batsman to reply to the notification by October 21.

The second Test between Pakistan and England is now in progress in Multan, while the third and final match of the series is scheduled to take place in Rawalpindi starting October 15.

Continue Reading

Trending