Pakistan confirm playing XI for Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal

The Pakistan men's team has announced their playing XI for the Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal on Wednesday, August 30, in Multan. The Men in Green have picked the strongest possible XI as they hope to start the competition with a win.

The pace trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Haris Rauf will reunite after two of them were rested for the final ODI against Afghanistan in Hambantota. The hosts have also chosen two specialist spinners in Shadab Khan, who is also the vice-captain, and Mohammad Nawaz.

Skipper Babar Azam stated that Pakistan won't take Nepal lightly and feels they must play their best cricket to beat them. He said in the press conference:

"We are focused on tomorrow’s game against Nepal. They have a good bunch of players, so we are not taking them lightly and we will try to play our best cricket. We want to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We have some competitive and exciting next few months lined up and we are eager to do well for our country."

Babar's form will be in focus as he failed to score as heavily in the three-game ODI series against Afghanistan. Nevertheless, he scored two critical half-centuries in the series should keep them in good stead.

Afridi has been in magnificent form since marking his return from a long-standing injury, while Rauf has also chipped in with wickets, most notably, taking a fifer to blow Afghanistan away in the first ODI while defending only 201. Naseem has also been a breath of fresh air as he has taken wickets and contributed valuable runs.

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Pakistan's team for Asia Cup 2023 game against Nepal

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