PAK vs NEP Player Battle, Pakistan vs Nepal Key Player Battle for Asia Cup 2023, Asia Cup 2023 PAK vs NEP Player Battle, Pakistan vs Nepal Match Asia Cup 2023, Rohit Paudel vs Haris Rauf Player Battle, Babar Azam vs Sandeep Lamichhane Player Battle.
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The number-one ranked Pakistan team will take on newcomers Nepal in the first game of the 2023 Asia Cup. It is for the first time that Nepal has qualified for the Asia Cup. The Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan will host to this match. Pakistan will host 3 other remaining games apart from the tournament opener.
Nepal won the ACC Men’s Premier Cup to qualify for the tournament. They couldn’t have asked for a more difficult challenge than this. Pakistan on the other hand will look to build on the first game to set themselves up for the rest of the season.
What will be Pakistan’s outlook?
It is after a long time that Asia Cup will be played in Pakistan. Their supporters will cheer the team endlessly. It will provide them with much needed boost before the bigger challenges that await them. Pakistan moved to the top of the rankings with a clean sweep of 3-0 over Afghanistan. They look a side in total control of the proceedings. Pakistan will look to win it big against Nepal in the first game to ensure a healthy NRR.
Can Nepal trigger an upset?
There is very little to lose for the determined Nepal side. They are a country whose followers back them passionately. The stadiums in Nepal are always filled to the brink when the home side turns up. But it will be a completely different hurdle when they come up against seasoned pros in the Asia Cup. They will kickstart their campaign against the world’s number 1 ODI side, Pakistan.
The first goal for the side will be to show that they belong at this level. A common trend in the last few Asia Cups has been that an associate nation makes it to the Asia Cup but dwindle thereafter. Nepal will look to reverse this notion in this tournament.
We look at the PAK vs NEP Player Battle:
#1 Babar Azam vs Sandeep Lamichhane Player Battle
It will be the battle between Pakistan’s number one batter and Nepal’s number one spinner. Babar Azam is right up there among the very best in the business when it comes to playing quality spin. He though has shown a tendency to go into the defensive when it comes to playing wrist-spin. It is this opportunity that Sandeep Lamichhane will look to target. He created waves when he broke into the scene as a teenager.
The likes of Ricky Ponting too were left impressed with his skillset. He is yet to weave his magic on a consistent basis. Sandeep will surely be tested against a batter of Babar Azam’s calibre. Their battle in the middle overs will play a defining role in the game.
#2 Rohit Paudel vs Haris Rauf Player Battle
The Nepal captain, Rohit Paudel has been an inspirational figure for the side. It is under his captaincy that the team won the 2023 ACC Premier Men’s Cup. He scored his maiden hundred against Papua New Guinea belting 126 runs. But it will be an altogether different battle when he will front up against Pakistani speedsters. Haris Rauf showed his genius in the game against Afghanistan picking up a scintillating 5-fer. He will fancy going up against the Nepal captain. If he manages to soften him up, it might send panic across the Nepalese dressing room.
