The first match of the Asia Cup 2023 was definitely a great start to the tournament. No one was expecting Pakistan to win by such a big margin. However, Pakistan was able to excel in bowling and batting. Two of their batters got a brilliant century, and their bowlers are brilliant too. This match has certainly given confidence to the batting and bowling unit of the Pakistan team.
Also read: Asia Cup 2023: Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed Gets Third-Highest Partnership In ODI Asia Cup History
Performance of the Pakistani batters
Pakistani batters were able to set a total of 342 runs for their team. It was clear that for Nepal it would not be easy to score 343 against the bowling of Shabab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, and others. However, the main pillars of the batting unit to make the team reach the big total were Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed. Their historical Asia Cup partnership of 214 runs, made the team get a big score.
Contribution of Shadab Khan
The contribution of Shadab Khan was exceptional. His 4 wickets contribution helped Pakistan to wipe out Nepal’s batting unit. Shadab Khan went on to wipe out the whole lower-order batter of Nepal.
- The first wicket of Shadab Khan was Gulsan Jha. He is an important middle-order batter for Nepal, and taking his wicket was certainly important.
- Kushal Malla got a big six after the time he arrived at the crease. His intentions were clear, and it was necessary to stop him. For that, Shadab Khan got his wicket and found the solution for the team.
- Sandeep Lamichhane’s wicket was taken by Shadab Khan at ease. He got out for a Duck.
- The final wicket of the match was of Lalit Rajbanshi. He was LBW out by Shadab Khan.
It looked like the bottom half of Nepal’s team was wiped out by the Khan. It was important to clean the lower order because these batters could have been dangerous. If they had settled down, then it would have been difficult to stop them.
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