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Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 Tips - Hosts to start with a bang

By Sridhar Bhamidi

29 Aug 2023

Sridhar Bhamidi 29 Aug 2023

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Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup match 1 predictions to be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Wednesday afternoon, Indian time
Pakistan have won 18 of their last 22 ODIs they played in the Asian continent
Pakistan have won their last 5 ODIs at this venue
Nepal have lost all 3 ODIs they played against current Test-playing nations
Can Babar Azam's men start their Asia Cup tournament with a bang?

Can Babar Azam continue his dream form and keep scoring runs for Pakistan? (Getty Images)

Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1

After the dilly-dallying and the confusion over venues, here we are – the 16th Asia Cup will start with the first match to be played between Pakistan and Nepal. This Group A game will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Wednesday from 3:00pm IST.

Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1
Head to Head
Pakistan Form
Pakistan Team News
Nepal Form
Nepal Team News

It is the upcoming bigger challenges that will be on top of Pakistan’s mind as they come up against the tournament debutants. Having masterfully swatted aside Afghanistan, they will be confident of a big win here to get their challenge going. It is perhaps a case of how big their win could be! If they get to bat first, there’s every chance that the likes of Babar Azam would want to get big scores. I am taking a punt on that and backing this match to see a century.

Pakistan have won 18 of their last 22 matches played in the continent of Asia (ODIs)
Pakistan have won their last 5 matches at this venue (ODIs)
Nepal have lost all 3 matches against Test playing nations (ODIs)
Babar Azam has scored 7 fifties in his last 11 matches (ODIs)

Head to Head

This is the first match between Pakistan and Nepal.

Pakistan Form

Pakistan are coming off a 3-0 series win over Afghanistan, that was played in Sri Lanka. The manner of victories and the resilience exhibited by the squad was a huge positive for the team.

Opener Imam-ul-Haq led the batting charts with a total of 165 runs that included two fifties. Captain Babar Azam also scored two fifties and was the next best batter.

It is the bowling that led the charge for Pakistan – as expected. Haris Rauf and Shaheen Shah Afridi shared 11 wickets between them in the series at well under five runs an over.

Pakistan Team News

Pakistan have added Saud Shakeel to their 16-member squad in place of Tayyab Tahir for this tournament. He played in the final ODI against Afghanistan and that team could well take the field here.

Nepal Form

Nepal are one of the upcoming teams in the continent with passionate fans backing the side at home. This is a bigger challenge though, as they look to rub shoulders with the top teams.

They were found out wanting when they played the West Indies, the Netherlands and Zimbabwe in the global qualifier for the ODI World Cup. They lost all three matches and also lost by two wickets to Ireland.

Most of the players from that squad are selected for this tournament too, while the likes of Sandeep Lamichhane and captain Rohit Paudel will be expected to lead the charge.

Nepal Team News

Gyanendra Malla has retired from international cricket and is replaced by Kushal Malla. There’s the exciting 21-year-old leg-spinner Mousom Dhakal waiting in the wings, after winning the ‘Emerging Player of the Tournament’ award in Nepal’s national one-day cup last year.

Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 FAQs

Where can I watch the Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 live stream?

Our live streaming calendar shows you where to watch the Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 live stream.

What time does Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 start?

This Pakistan vs Nepal Asia Cup Match 1 will be played at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on August 30, Wednesday starting at 3:00pm IST.

Verdict

It is a no-brainer that Pakistan are likely to use this match as a practice for the big game against India. The hosts will look to get their game going and if they get a chance, batting first could be the way to get more match practice. With that being the case, I am backing this game to have an individual century, the odds of which are fairly satisfying.