The highly anticipated Asia Cup 2023 began with a clash between Pakistan and Nepal at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday. Pakistan’s skipper, Babar Azam, won the toss and opted to bat against Nepal in this opening match of the tournament. With the home crowd backing Pakistan, the team entered the game with confidence, aiming to kick off their Asia Cup campaign with a convincing victory. On the other hand, Asia Cup debutant Nepal was hopeful of making a mark by potentially causing an upset in their first One Day International (ODI) encounter against Pakistan.
However, the initial moments of the match presented a surprising sight as the stadium witnessed a notably low attendance, a scene that caught the attention of viewers watching the match on television. The sparse crowd was unexpected, especially considering the enthusiasm that usually surrounds matches of this stature.
During the toss, Pakistan’s captain, Babar Azam, remarked, “We will bat first, pitch looks very dry and shiny. No reason to name the XI earlier, we wanted to give confidence to our team. To be honest, being the top-ranked team brings a good kind of pressure, we’ll try to enjoy and do our best.”
Nepal’s skipper, Rohit Paudel, shared his excitement, saying, “Everyone is very happy, it is our first game in the Asia Cup. Everyone in Nepal is really excited for this game. Most of the things here are very similar to Nepal, looks like a beautiful wicket to bat on.”
As the match progressed, Pakistan fielded a playing XI consisting of Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (w), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf.
Meanwhile, Nepal’s lineup included Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh (w), Rohit Paudel (c), Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sompal Kami, Karan KC, Sandeep Lamichhane, and Lalit Rajbanshi.
With the Asia Cup being a prestigious tournament featuring top cricketing nations from the continent, the low attendance at the opening match came as an unexpected and disappointing development. Fans and cricket enthusiasts hope that the excitement and fervor for the tournament will pick up as the competition progresses, creating an electrifying atmosphere for the matches to come.