PAK vs NEP: Pakistan Playing XI vs Nepal, Asia Cup 2023 - Predicted

Pakistan to play the opening clash of Asia Cup 2023 against Nepal on 30th August.

Pakistan, after a dominating three-match ODI series win against Afghanistan, went up in the ICC ODI rankings and became the new No. 1 ODI team. Pakistan will open their Asia Cup 2023 against new entrant Nepal. Babar Azam-led Pakistan squad will take on Nepal in their first game at Multan cricket stadium in Multan on Thursday. Pakistan is part of group A in the tournament along with India and Nepal. Pakistan are in magnificent form in 2023 and have performed consistently in every format.

Pakistan looks like a top-heavy side, but in recent times they have improved themselves in the middle-order and picked a balanced Asia Cup squad. Along with great top-order batting, Pakistan also have the most threatening pace attack in the tournament. Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Naseem Shah are set to be Pakistan’s first-choice pacers for their opening game against Nepal. Shadab Khan will remain a key player once again in this tournament, along with captain Babar Azam. Let’s have a look at the predicted playing XI for Pakistan.

Pakistan Predicted Playing XI 

1 . Fakhar Zaman 

The left-handed opening batter will be leading the charge as Pakistan’s opening batter. Fakhar Zaman is known for his aggressive approach, he goes after the bowler inside the power play and tries to fetch as many runs as possible. His career strike rate in ODIs is 93.06, testimony to his attacking game. He has scored 3207 runs in 73 ODI innings.

2 . Imam-ul-Haq 

Pakistan have two left-handed batters as openers in their playing XI with high-scoring ability. In his 62 ODI innings since his debut, Imam has been able to score 50-pluss 27 times in his career. Imam anchors the innings nicely, along with an attacking Fakhar Zaman as Pakistan’s opener. Imam-ul-Haq has a huge responsibility in his hands as his game binds Pakistan innings together.

3 . Babar Azam (c)

Pakistan are one of the top-heavy sides in international cricket, with their openers, number 3 and number 4, doing the bulk of the scoring in this format. Pakistan’s captain is probably one of the greatest to have graced the game as a top-order batter. Babar, along with his batting, also has the responsibility of leading the squad. He is one of the X-factors in Pakistan’s playing XI.

4 . Mohammad Rizwan 

Mohammad Rizwan comes in as the No. 4 batter in the top-heavy Pakistan batting lineup. A dominant T20I batter, Rizwan has decent ODI stats. Rizwan has played 60 one-day international games for Pakistan and scored 1498 runs, his average is just 34.04 in this format. Rizwan, being a stable middle-order batter, has another role as well. He will be keeping wickets for Pakistan.

5 . Iftikhar Ahmad 

32-year-old middle-order batter Iftikhar Ahmed will be taking up the responsibility at number 5 in Pakistan’s middle-order. Iftikhar Ahmed has played just 14 ODI games in his career and missed the last ODI against Afghanistan in Colombo. Iftikhar Ahmed has scored 293 runs at an average of 36.62, with just one fifty.

6 . Salman Ali Agha 

After Asif Ali departs from the 50-overs format, Pakistan is in search of a formidable option in the finishing role. Still, in his early days of career, Salman Ali Agha has impressed everyone as the new no. 6 batter in the Pakistan XI. Salman has played 14 games and scored 396 runs at an average of 40.83 with three half-centuries.

7 .  Shadab Khan 

Shadab Khan played a match-winning knock against Afghanistan in the second ODI. After batting, Shadab impressed with his bowling in the final ODI and picked up three crucial wickets in the middle-overs. He scored 90 runs and picked up four wickets in three games against Afghanistan. Not only against Nepal but throughout the entire Asia Cup 2023, Shadab Khan will be a player to watch out for.

8 . Mohammad Nawaz 

To boost their lower-order batting, Pakistan got a formidable option at No. 8. Mohammad Nawaz is Pakistan’s new number eight, who can bat when needed and is also a wicket-taking option with his left-arm spin bowling. Nawaz has taken 39 wickets in 29 games for Pakistan and has a batting average of 18.41.

9 . Shaheen Afridi 

Shaheen Afridi will not go easy against Nepali batters in the Asia Cup opener on Thursday. Shaheen will look to utilize this opportunity to prepare himself for India game. More than the Nepal game, Shaheen will be looking to leave an impact in their second league game against India at Pallekele Stadium in Kandy. Shaheen has taken 14 wickets in seven ODI games this year.

10 . Haris Rauf 

Pakistan will have an all-out attack against Nepal and will not leave anything for them in the game. The Nepal game will be an opportunity for the Pakistan pace attack to get their act together before the big game against India. Rauf has played 24 ODIs in his career so far and picked up 44 wickets. Rauf will come in as the first change in bowling.

11 .  Naseem Shah 

Naseem Shah has become a talent to watch out for in the future. Naseem has been a sensation since he made his debut. Naseem Shah has played only 10 ODIs so far in his career, but his numbers look staggering. Shah has picked up 25 wickets at a 16.12 average and 20.8 strike rate. Nepal will have a nightmare facing these brutal pace bowlers in their Asia Cup debut game in Multan.

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