Pakistan Team. (Photo Source: ISHARA S. KODIKARA/AFP via Getty Images)
The much-awaited Asia Cup 2023 is set to begin on August 30, 2023, with the first match between Pakistan and Nepal at Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan, Pakistan. The tournament, which will be played before the World Cup 2023, will give good practice to players around the world.
Nepal will be making their debut in the Asia Cup. They qualified for the tournament by winning the 2023 ACC Men’s Premier Cup. Kushal Malla was their highest run-scorer in the tournament, scoring 238 runs at an average of 79.33, followed by Rohit Paudel with 187 runs and Bhim Sharki with 147 runs. Leg-spinner Sandeep Lamichhane was their highest wicket-taker, with 13 wickets, followed by Karan KC with 10 wickets and Lalit Rajbanshi with 9 wickets.
Pakistan come into the tournament on the back of a clean sweep against Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series. Imam-ul-Haq was their top scorer in the series, with 165 runs at an average of 55.00, followed by Babar Azam with 113 runs. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi was their leading wicket-taker, with six wickets, followed by Haris Rauf with five wickets. All-rounder Shadab Khan contributed both with bat and ball, aggregating 90 runs and picking up 4 wickets
Here are some important stats and numbers ahead of the 1st match of Asia Cup 2023 played between Pakistan and Nepal.
Head-to-Head: Pakistan and Nepal will face each other for the first time in an international game.
168 – Fakhar Zaman (4832) needs 168 runs to complete 5000 runs in international cricket.
6 – Mohammad Rizwan (93) needs 6 more sixes to achieve 100 sixes in International Cricket
116-Imam-ul-Haq (2884) needs 116 runs to complete 3000 runs in ODIs.
5-Shadab Khan (195) requires 5 wickets to reach 200 wickets across formats.
3-Shadab Khan (47) needs three catches to complete 50 catches in international cricket.
5 – Babar Azam (45) is 5 catches away from completing 50 catches in ODI matches.
6 – Haris Rauf (44) requires 6 more wickets to achieve 50 wickets in ODI matches.
2- Mohammad Rizwan (1498) needs two runs to complete 1500 ODI runs.
14-Kushal Bhurtel (986) needs 14 runs to complete 1000 runs in ODIs.
31-Rohit Paudel (1469) requires 31 runs to reach 1500 runs in ODIs.
143-Dipendra Singh Airee (857) needs 143 runs to complete 1000 runs in ODIs.
1-Sandeep Lamichhane (49) is set to play his 50th ODI match.
5-Shaheen Afridi (245) requires 5 wickets to reach 250 wickets across formats.