What's new

Pakistan (342/6) thrash Nepal (104) by 238 runs in Match 1 of the Asia Cup 2023

MenInG

PakPassion Administrator
Staff member
Joined
Oct 2, 2004
Runs
217,995
Some amazing batting by Babar and Iftikhar has given Pakistan a nice and comfortable total to defend.

Question really is how big a defeat will Pakistan inflict on Nepal.

1693402572167.png

==

All posters please take note of the following guidelines for match threads on PakPassion:

1. No personal insults at other posters, players, officials, coaching staffs etc.

2. No making fun of player's, official's, coaching staff's names.

3. Do not add any references to media, their social media or post any pictures or screenshots from other sports websites.

4. Stick to commenting on this match. There is no need to bring other countries into the match discussion as there are plenty of other threads where those discussions can be added.
 
Need to give haris rauf a chance too can't ket afridi and shah take all wickets today
 
Next game saud is needed for agha, otherwise the team is good.

Rizwan I would replace for Tayyab but then haris would have to come in and Keep.

And sadly rizwan ain't going anywhere.
 
Nepal - 14/3.

Can get very embarrassing for them here.

Nepal bowled very well for about 20 overs and have fielded exceptionally well. Nothing embarassing here for them to lose wickets quickly against one of the best young pace bowlers going.
 
I am worried about shaeen's line and length, if he pitches it in perfectly, its unplayable, no inevitable can play that swing.

But he's pitching it down legside too much.
 
Excellent keeping by Rizwan so far, after a good partnership with Babar laying the platform.
 
Some indian 'influencers' on social media were actually thinking/hoping that Nepal has a chance to win this one. 🤦‍♂️😂

Anyways, pretty good stuff from Pakistan. Very solid, very dominating.

Fakhar Zaman's form could be a cause of concern though. He sometimes scores those huge hundreds against lesser attacks and I thought today could be the day, but seems to be terribly out of form.
 
Some indian 'influencers' on social media were actually thinking/hoping that Nepal has a chance to win this one. 🤦‍♂️😂

Anyways, pretty good stuff from Pakistan. Very solid, very dominating.

Fakhar Zaman's form could be a cause of concern though. He sometimes scores those huge hundreds against lesser attacks and I thought today could be the day, but seems to be terribly out of form.
Don't we hope that Nepal can beat India? Even though we know it won't happen?
 
Nepal has no business playing in Asia cup. UAE would have at least competed slightly better.
 
Nepal has no business playing in Asia cup. UAE would have at least competed slightly better.
Nepal has better bowling. Much better and these 2 batsmen are playing well.

Their also more passionate and have potential for improvement. Theirs a reason why their here.
 
Nepal has better bowling. Much better and these 2 batsmen are playing well.

Their also more passionate and have potential for improvement. Theirs a reason why their here.
Sandeep is decent. But the rest are club level bowlers.

The only thing going for Nepal is that they have real fans. Not expats coming together to have an afternoon outing like UAE.
 
Just bring in Rauf and end the game already. Too much lovey-dovey stuff from Shaheen and Naseem.
 
Next game saud is needed for agha, otherwise the team is good.

Rizwan I would replace for Tayyab but then haris would have to come in and Keep.

And sadly rizwan ain't going anywhere.
Agha has been consistently good doesn’t deserve to be dropped. Iftikhar does great at 6.

Only position is Rizwan’s which is under contention. And it’s mainly because he’s not batting at his ideal position. Haris, Sarfraz and Azam khan are his contenders. I doubt any of them would be better with the bat, and they’d be a big downgrade with the gloves (the latter two especially).

Best way forward is to keep playing haris middle order in t20s, hope he can become consistent and he can take over in ODIs. But he isn’t there yet, he’s struggling to even hold down a place in t20s for now.

I’d take Rizwan’s batting even if it’s unsuited right now, just for the superior level of keeping. When a slot opens up as opener or Haris starts solidifying his place middle order in t20s then it is much easier to consider someone else than Rizwan at 4.
 
Shaheen is off the field, after the physios were standing next to him at the boundary...
 
Agha has been consistently good doesn’t deserve to be dropped. Iftikhar does great at 6.

Only position is Rizwan’s which is under contention. And it’s mainly because he’s not batting at his ideal position. Haris, Sarfraz and Azam khan are his contenders. I doubt any of them would be better with the bat, and they’d be a big downgrade with the gloves (the latter two especially).

Best way forward is to keep playing haris middle order in t20s, hope he can become consistent and he can take over in ODIs. But he isn’t there yet, he’s struggling to even hold down a place in t20s for now.

I’d take Rizwan’s batting even if it’s unsuited right now, just for the superior level of keeping. When a slot opens up as opener or Haris starts solidifying his place middle order in t20s then it is much easier to consider someone else than Rizwan at 4.
Agha hasn't been good. He's been terrible against spin, something wrong thought he was good at. He was terrible against Afghanistan and now against Nepal.

Only thing in his favour is that he can bowl, and provides the extra 6th or 7th bowling option.
 
I think Shadab will run through Nepali batting line up. In the meanwhile, Haris comes in as substitute for Shaheen, worrying signs for Pak.
 
PCB will never learn. They let Afridi to play all sorts of leagues, weak associate teams and now he will miss out big match against India or even may miss World Cup.
Our management wants to win every match for the cost of top players
 
PCB will never learn. They let Afridi to play all sorts of leagues, weak associate teams and now he will miss out big match against India or even may miss World Cup.
Our management wants to win every match for the cost of top players
Brother I'm pretty sure it's just the heat and bowling 5 overs hence cramp and fatigue.

I don't think it's serious or life threatening. He'll be fine against India.
 
If Shaheen misses the game against India, it will completely change the expectations. Worst blow possible for us.
 
Brother I'm pretty sure it's just the heat and bowling 5 overs hence cramp and fatigue.

I don't think it's serious or life threatening. He'll be fine against India.
I hope you are right but I really fear the worst.
 
Aarif Sheikh has some talent. Looks like the best Nepal has got. Not getting rattled by pace.
 
If any team safely negotiate first 5 over of initial bowling spell then good chance to score around 300
 
Agha hasn't been good. He's been terrible against spin, something wrong thought he was good at. He was terrible against Afghanistan and now against Nepal.

Only thing in his favour is that he can bowl, and provides the extra 6th or 7th bowling option.
He’s done well for a while in both tests and ODIs which is why he has an impressive average and SR. We’ve struggled for years in those lower positions. He has was good in the last match against afghanistan too.

We keep dropping/rotating players, hence no one cements their place. There is no guarantee a player new to the side will even perform let alone match the stats performance of Agha so far (which I’m sure most would take). If it means using the Asia cup to find that out so be it. Agha didn’t give a reason to drop him before the Asia cup, and he’s to be credited for that.

Predicting players to fail never goes well. Saw that with Fawad absolutely wasted his career in his prime as a result. When they naturally fail, it is easy to replace them then. Same with Imad, who should still probably be in the team on merit. Or even the people who want imam and fakhar out. It’s just way too impatient. I get even replacing average, but agha’s stats so far are not average they’re clearly good.
 
He’s done well for a while in both tests and ODIs which is why he has an impressive average and SR. We’ve struggled for years in those lower positions. He has was good in the last match against afghanistan too.

We keep dropping/rotating players, hence no one cements their place. There is no guarantee a player new to the side will even perform let alone match the stats performance of Agha so far (which I’m sure most would take). If it means using the Asia cup to find that out so be it. Agha didn’t give a reason to drop him before the Asia cup, and he’s to be credited for that.

Predicting players to fail never goes well. Saw that with Fawad absolutely wasted his career in his prime as a result. When they naturally fail, it is easy to replace them then. Same with Imad, who should still probably be in the team on merit. Or even the people who want imam and fakhar out. It’s just way too impatient. I get even replacing average, but agha’s stats so far are not average they’re clearly good.
I don't want fakhar or Imam out.

First off Fawad was never a good player, he was always gonna be a bunny to quality bowling like stark, Hazelwood etc, Theirs a reason he was dropped after a string of failures. Although he should have been in test instead of asad shafique.

As for agha, the reason I'm saying so is due to technique. He lacks footwork against spin, only one front foot shot which involves him coming down the wicket. His unorthodox shots are terrible.

He is agood against fast but saud is better considering these are spinning wickets and 30 overs of spin were bowled today.

As for fakhar and Imam, I never said drop them, they need to stay, I don't look at averages. I look at technique and mentality.

My intuition is usually right, although I was wring about iftikhar. That's the only time I've been wrong in my analysis. So we'll see maybe I'm wrong about agha and am being impatient but I don't think I am this time around.
 
If any team safely negotiate first 5 over of initial bowling spell then good chance to score around 300
Indian batting is all about Top 3. Whenever India lost against Pakistan, the Top 3 were gone in the first 7 overs. Even now, if you take out Rohit, Gill and Kohli, Indian batting will struggle to score 150. Pakistan has the bowlers to do exactly the same.

This makes it important for India to let Kishan open with Rohit or Gill.
 
gill kishan rohit kohli no need to look at the rest who are quality with power hitters jadeja pandya...now that is a team
 
Rauf warming up now

But a brilliant catch by Rizwan
 
If you want an honest opinion, India is slightly stronger than pak atm. But slightly, close contest it'll be. Both sides are neck and neck.
 
Yeah it is but before game against India we can’t afford any injury

Looks in bad shape Haris

6KEehAa.jpg
 
Good catch by Fakhar !
Pakistan’s fielding seems to be getting better and better !
 
Job done.

Overall a good performance apart from a very poor start by Fakhar and Imam.
 
Great stuff very happy.

Only disappointed with Rizwan’s foolish run out hope he learns to not do that again. Would have been nice for fakhar to get form , he still hasn’t done it yet and we’re in the middle of asia cup now. Though wouldn’t surprise me if he hits a ton next match, just the way he is.
 
As emphatic a victory as anyone could have expected. Credit to Nepal who bowled well for about 20-25 overs and as a first outing against an established nation. This is only the beginning for them.

Now the real stuff begins.
 
Dominant win, all but secured our place in Super 4.
 
Looking at some of them Nepal players they look more like an under 19 team one of their fast bowlers is 17 a nice easy start for Pakistan this is where things will start to get tougher....
 
Babar Azam | Pakistan Captain and Player of the Match: When I went in, the ball wasn't coming on properly, so I was trying to build an innings with Rizwan. Then we had a different phase, sometimes Rizwan gave me confidence, sometimes I gave him belief. Iftikhar also played a great innings when he came on. When he came in, I told him to play his natural game and he was comfortable after 2-3 boundaries. A couple of overs we weren't up to the mark, but the way our pacers started and then the spinners were brilliant. This win will give us the confidence, India Pakistan will always bring high intensity, we will try our best.

Rohit Paudel | Nepal captain: We started well with the ball, but both set batters took the game away from us. We have batted better before and we missed out today. Wicket taking balls were not there in middle overs, but credit to Babar for the way he batted, credit to Pakistan. Learning from the game would be we need to improve bowling in death overs, as a group we need to step up with the bat.

Shadab Khan: It was hot out there, but Sri Lanka was hot as well but Sri Lanka was more humid. I can't talk about Babar because we all know he is a world class player, Iftikhar has done so much for much whenever he gets the opportunity. He showcased his power hitting really well today. The platform was setup for me by the pacers, Shaheen and Naseem and then Haris Rauf was amazing. The conditions will be different, I have never played there (Pallekele) but let us see. We have confidence in each other and this is the beauty of the Pakistan cricket team.
 
Looking at some of them Nepal players they look more like an under 19 team one of their fast bowlers is 17 a nice easy start for Pakistan this is where things will start to get tougher....
yes they are young but on right path. hopefully they will emerge as an exciting side in cricket.
 
Pakistan Triumphs Over Nepal with Centuries from Azam and Ahmed in Asia Cup Opener

Multan – In a display of cricketing brilliance, Pakistan commenced their Asia Cup journey on a high, decimating debutants Nepal by a staggering 238 runs in Multan's electrifying encounter on Wednesday.

The spotlight was undeniably on Babar Azam, the world's top ODI batter, as he carved out a masterclass 151 off just 131 balls, registering his 19th ODI century. Accompanying him in the batting spectacle was Iftikhar Ahmed, who unleashed his maiden ODI century, an explosive 109 off just 71 balls. Their combined onslaught propelled Pakistan to a mammoth score of 342-6.

Pakistan's bowling unit showcased their prowess by skittling Nepal for a paltry 104 in just 23.4 overs. Shadab Khan, with his spinning wizardry, bagged an impressive 4-27. The pace duo, Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi, further tightened the screws with figures of 2-16 and 2-27, respectively. Only Sompal Kami, Aarif Sheikh, and Gulsan Jha offered some resistance from Nepal.

Fresh from their ascent to the top of the ODI rankings, this win offers Pakistan the perfect momentum ahead of their much-anticipated duel with arch-rivals India in Pallekele this Saturday.

This year's Asia Cup adopts a hybrid model, with matches split between Pakistan and Sri Lanka after India opted out of the Pakistan leg due to political undercurrents. The groups see Pakistan, India, and Nepal locking horns in Group A, while defending champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan compete in Group B.

For Nepal, despite making their Asia Cup debut, they displayed initial promise by restricting Pakistan to 124-4 in the 28th over. However, they couldn't hold back the Azam-Ahmed storm that added a whopping 214 runs for the fifth wicket in a mere 131 balls. Azam's innings sparkled with 14 boundaries and four maximums, while Ahmed's fiery knock was punctuated with 11 boundaries and four sixes. Their blitz helped Pakistan amass 129 runs in the tail-end 10 overs, with a staggering 67 coming in the last five.

Pakistan did face early hiccups, with Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq departing early. But the partnership between Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who chipped in with a handy 44, steadied the ship. Ahmed, fresh from a commendable 94 not out against New Zealand earlier this year, then joined forces with Azam to steer Pakistan to a dominant position.

For Nepal, pacer Kami emerged as the standout bowler, clinching 2-85.

Eyes now turn to Pallekele, where Sri Lanka and Bangladesh are set to face off on Thursday, promising another thrilling chapter in this year's Asia Cup saga.
 
So...let me get this straight?

1. Pakistan are rightful hosts of the Asia Cup, but India don't want to visit, so Asia Cup is moved to SL; BUT, Pakistan willingly travel to India for World Cup.

2. Pakistan are rightful hosts of the Asia Cup, but India don't want Pakistan's name on their Asia Cup jerseys, so Pakistan's name is removed from all jerseys; BUT, Pakistan willingly puts India's name on its newly released World Cup jersey.

Did I miss anything or are we really that patehtic?
 
So...let me get this straight?

1. Pakistan are rightful hosts of the Asia Cup, but India don't want to visit, so Asia Cup is moved to SL; BUT, Pakistan willingly travel to India for World Cup.

2. Pakistan are rightful hosts of the Asia Cup, but India don't want Pakistan's name on their Asia Cup jerseys, so Pakistan's name is removed from all jerseys; BUT, Pakistan willingly puts India's name on its newly released World Cup jersey.

Did I miss anything or are we really that patehtic?
It's the economy. Pakistan has no clout in the international world because economically, Pakistan has no standing. $25bn exports/year is literally chump change for the world. So no matter how much verbal volleying you can give, the fact is nobody in the world is going to take you seriously because you have zero means to hurt them. India is hosting the miss world event in occupied Kashmir and nobody in the world will bat an eyelid. If Pakistan even tries to host an international event in Azad Kashmir or Gilgit Baltistan, India is going to raise an issue and you would not be able to hold the event at all.

So until the economy becomes a global giant (which is probably never), Pakistan will always be surrendering towards India. The verbal volleys that people in the PCB thrash out are only for local consumption. Pretty sure Najam Sethi would've been bending over backwards to Jay Shah behind closed doors to let them host 3 games so that he can save face.
 
It's the economy. Pakistan has no clout in the international world because economically, Pakistan has no standing. $25bn exports/year is literally chump change for the world. So no matter how much verbal volleying you can give, the fact is nobody in the world is going to take you seriously because you have zero means to hurt them. India is hosting the miss world event in occupied Kashmir and nobody in the world will bat an eyelid. If Pakistan even tries to host an international event in Azad Kashmir or Gilgit Baltistan, India is going to raise an issue and you would not be able to hold the event at all.

So until the economy becomes a global giant (which is probably never), Pakistan will always be surrendering towards India. The verbal volleys that people in the PCB thrash out are only for local consumption. Pretty sure Najam Sethi would've been bending over backwards to Jay Shah behind closed doors to let them host 3 games so that he can save face.

Bhai I don't think anyone will debate that their actions are done due to cricketing economy. But how far is PCB willing to go for this money. what $ amount is worth this type of treatment?

Right now India gets to pretend that Pakistan doesn't exist. (which I'm fine with... they earned it through having a better economy)

But simultaneously we gift them propaganda cream by coming to play in Modi's stadium. (This is on us and the greed of a few, no one is forcing us)

That World Cup match will likely have the highest tv ratings ever unless India make the final as well. Why are we partaking there is no benefit to our cricket as a whole, even if we win the matches in Asia cup and WC, nothing will change in their stance.

Our players are essentially the gladiator slaves thrown into the Roman Coliseum at this point.
 
India is hosting the miss world event in occupied Kashmir and nobody in the world will bat an eyelid. If Pakistan even tries to host an international event in Azad Kashmir or Gilgit Baltistan, India is going to raise an issue and you would not be able to hold the event at all.
Pakistan has hosted Kashmir premier league in the AJK in the past years, and India was able to do zilch about it.
 
Pakistan has hosted Kashmir premier league in the AJK in the past years, and India was able to do zilch about it.
Please don't compare a KPL cricket tournament to a Miss World event. Even people in Australia (a bonafide cricketing nation) wouldn't even know there's a KPL cricket tournament. Try hosting a SCO conference in Azad Kashmir or Gilgit Baltistan. Forget that. Try even an OIC summit which India isn't even a part of in AK or GB and see if you're able to do it.
 
Guys! Please refrain from discussing your political views in this thread, kindly engage in such discussions within relevant threads.
 
Please don't compare a KPL cricket tournament to a Miss World event. Even people in Australia (a bonafide cricketing nation) wouldn't even know there's a KPL cricket tournament. Try hosting a SCO conference in Azad Kashmir or Gilgit Baltistan. Forget that. Try even an OIC summit which India isn't even a part of in AK or GB and see if you're able to do it.
OIC regularly condemns India on Kashmir, so Pakistan has no need of hosting an OIC summit in AJK or GB. You are overestimating India's global clout too much. India can't even get Malaysia to send Dr Zakir Naik back.

Anyways lets not derail this thread.
 
In case you missed it, highlights of the Pakistan v Nepal game

 
Back
Top