Pakistan have given a cracking start to the 2023 Asia Cup with a thumping 238-run victory over Nepal in the tournament opener in Multan on August 30. Aiming to continue their dominance in the 50-over format, the Men in Green are up against India in their second encounter in Kandy on Saturday, September 2.
Pakistan are the third most successful team in the history of the continental event. They were crowned Asian champions in 2008 and 2012. Meanwhile, India with seven titles (1984, 1988, 1991, 1995, 2010, 2016, 2018) are the most successful team, followed by Sri Lanka (1986, 1997, 2004, 2008, 2014, 2022).
In this article, we take a look at Pakistan’s 3 biggest wins in ODI Asia Cup history.
3. 10 wickets (182 balls remaining) vs Bangladesh (2008)
Bangladesh, batting first, got off to a poor start with opener Mohammed Nazimuddin getting dismissed in the second over. Pakistan bowlers continued their onslaught and as a result, Bangladesh’s innings were over 115/10 in 38.2 overs. Chasing a paltry score, Pakistan openers Salman Butt and Nasir Jamshed put together a comprehensive 10-wicket century partnership in the final Asia Cup Super League match. With Butt on 56 and Jamshed on 52, the two left-handers won the match with 182 balls to spare.
2. 233 runs vs Bangladesh (2000)
Pakistan’s 233-run win over Bangladesh in the fourth match of the 2000 Asia Cup is the third-biggest win in terms of runs in the history of the Asia Cup. Batting first, the Men in Green posted a total of 320 runs on the back of brilliant half-centuries by Imran Nazir, Mohammad Yusuf and Inzamam-ul-Haq. In reply, Bangladesh could not get going and were demolished by the fiery Pakistan bowling attack as they were all out for just 87 runs. Abdul Razzaq took three while Azhar Mahmood got two wickets.
1. 238 runs vs Nepal (2023)
We have already talked about this victory in the introductory part. Pakistan’s 238-run win over Nepal is the second biggest win in the Men’s ODI Asia Cup, behind India’s 256 against Hong Kong in the 2008 edition. This is also Pakistan’s third-biggest win by runs in the ODI format. Opting to bat first, Pakistan were in a state of bother against minnows after losing a couple of wickets inside the powerplay.
However, skipper Babar Azam and middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed put on a record 200-plus partnership for the fifth wicket to take the game away from Nepal. Babar registered the second-highest score in Asia Cup history (151 off 131) while Iftikhar (109 off 71) scored his maiden ODI century. In response to Pakistan’s mammoth total of 342, Nepal could not fight back and were bowled out for 104/10 in 23.4 overs.