At the Multan Cricket Stadium, Pakistan’s Asia Cup 2023 campaign got off to a strong start with a 238-run victory over Nepal in the opening game.
With this historic victory, the Men in Green took first place in Group A’s points standings, earning two significant points and a respectable run rate of 4.760.
The Babar Azam-led team’s morale was also raised by the impressive victory in the curtain-raiser before the eagerly anticipated match against India on September 2.
Thanks to Iftikhar Ahmed, the middle-order batsman and all-format captain, who scored brilliant hundreds, the Green Shirts amassed a sizable total of 343 runs.
In response, the opposition was bowled out for 104 runs after failing to withstand the bowling attack of the national team. In the game, Shadab Khan claimed four wickets.
After Group A’s opening match, the updated points standings are shown below.
| S.N | Team | M | W | L | T | N/R | PT | NRR |
| 1 | Pakistan | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 4.760 |
| 2 | Nepal | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -4.760 |
| 3 | India | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
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