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'Kya khel rahe hain'- Fans react as Pakistan beat Nepal by 238 runs in opening game of Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan beat Nepal in the opening game of the Asia Cup 2023, at Multan Stadium, Multan by a huge margin of 238 runs.

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Rohit Kumar
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Pakistan Cricket Team

Pakistan Cricket Team (Source: Twitter)

Pakistan beat Nepal in the opening game of the Asia Cup 2023, at Multan Stadium, Multan by a huge margin of 238 runs. With centuries by their skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed. The Asia Cup returned to Pakistan after 15 years, with Sri Lanka and Pakistan hosting the continental tournament in a hybrid mode for the first time.

Pakistan won the toss and elected to bat first on Multan's tricky wicket. They lost their openers early in the inning leading them to 25-2. They were struggling at 124-4 when Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed stitched a 214-run partnership to set Pakistan a huge total of 342-6.

Babar Azam leading from front

Skipper Babar Azam turned out to be the crisis man for the hosts. They were struggling at the start of the innings when he settled down in the difficult wicket of Multan. He created history in the first match of the Asia Cup 2023. He became the fastest batter to complete 19 ODI hundreds in the history of the format.

The 28-year-old batter slammed his 8th fifty-plus score this year in 12 innings that he has played. He first stitched an 86-run partnership with Mohammad Rizwan who scored 44 runs before being bizarrely run out. Iftikhar Ahmed smashed an unbeaten 109 runs off 71 balls.

In reply, Nepal never got the start they wanted. They lost two early wickets in the first over as Pakistan star Shaheen Shah Afridi picked up two early wickets in the first over itself. Only three batters got off to double figures and the rest of them failed to have a mark against a star-studded Pakistan bowling lineup.

Vice-captain Shadab Khan was the pick of the bowlers picking up 4 wickets and giving out just 27 runs. Haris Rauf and Shaheen picked up two wickets each and Mohammad Nawaz and Naseem Shah picked up one each as Nepal has been bundled out for just 104 runs in just 23.4 overs.

The Asian Giants next face their arch-rivals India in their next match on September 2 at the Pallekele International Stadium, in Kandy.

Tomorrow in the Asia Cup Bangladesh faces Sri Lanka at the Pallakele International Stadium, in Kandy.

Here's how fans reacted:Β 

Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Babar Azam