The 2023 edition of Asia Cup kick-started on Wednesday with the opening clash between Pakistan and Nepal at Multan Cricket Stadium, Multan. Pakistan, the tournament hosts, won the toss and elected to bat against Nepal. Despite all the buzz around the tournament, several stands at Multan Cricket Stadium looked empty at the start of the match. The tournament was earlier scheduled to be played entirely in Pakistan but the BCCI refused to travel to the neighbouring country due to political tensions between the two nations, as a result, it is being staged in a hybrid model. Only four tournament matches will be played in Pakistan including the opener while Sri Lanka will host the remaining matches.
Also Read: Pakistan vs Nepal Live Score And Updates
The Indian cricket team fans started trolling empty stands at Multan Cricket Stadium in the opening match of the mega tournament.
Meanwhile, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam elected to bat first after winning the toss as they decided to play with a strong XI against Nepal.
Babar admitted that being the top-ranked side brings a good kind of pressure on the team.
Meanwhile, The Pakistan skipper said there is no extra pressure of playing at home and the players just want to enjoy “our cricket and give our best”.
“We will bat first, pitch looks very dry and shiny. No reason to name the XI earlier, we wanted to give confidence to our team. To be honest, being the top ranked team brings a good kind of pressure, we’ll try to enjoy and do our best,” Babar said at the toss.Nepal skipper Rohit Paudel expressed his excitement to lead his team in their first-ever Asia Cup match.
“Everyone is very happy, it is our first game in the Asia Cup. Everyone in Nepal is really excited for this game. Most of the things here are very similar to Nepal, looks like a beautiful wicket to bat on,” Paudel said.
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