Nepal have a celebration to spoil as Pakistan look to profit from uncommon residence sport
Big image – an enormous event for Nepal
Nepal are making their Asia Cup debut. They are assembly Pakistan for the primary time in any format. It’s an enormous event for them, a day of celebration irrespective of how issues pan out on the sector.
Nepal’s very presence at this Asia Cup is validation of their rise as a cricketing drive. They bought right here by profitable the ten-team ACC Men’s Premier Cup in April-May, clinching the title forward of groups reminiscent of UAE and Hong Kong, who’ve featured in previous Asia Cups. Before that, they put collectively a run of 11 wins in 12 ODIs to rise improbably up the ODI World Cup League 2 desk and seal a spot within the ODI World Cup qualifier.
Having solely gained ODI standing in 2018, Nepal are actually ranked a tantalising fifteenth within the format, an indication of how shut they’re to attaining even greater desires provided that the subsequent ODI World Cup, in 2027, will characteristic 14 groups.
Pakistan, in the meantime, are enjoying what’s prone to be considered one of simply two residence video games in a match they’re technically internet hosting. Such are the instances we dwell in. Fans in Multan, then, could be effectively suggested to courageous the temperatures (the forecast is for a most of 38-degrees Celsius) and catch this uncommon glimpse of their heroes.
Form information
Pakistan WWWLW (final 5 accomplished ODIs, most up-to-date first)
Nepal LWLLW
In the highlight
After years of being overdependent on their high three, Pakistan are starting to place collectively a promising ODI center order, and lots of the credit score for this should go to Agha Salman, who has a 40-plus common and a 100-plus strike fee after his first 14 video games. He has been in a wealthy vein of kind over latest months – he adopted a wonderful residence ODI collection towards New Zealand with aggressive Test knocks of 83 and 132* on the tour of Sri Lanka, and he comes into the Asia Cup on the again of a vital unbeaten 38 to finish an in any other case quiet collection towards Afghanistan on a optimistic notice.
An common of 19.93 after 50 ODIs is not massively spectacular, however Dipendra Singh Airee comes into the Asia Cup with a good quantity of confidence behind him. The middle-order batter impressed on the World Cup qualifier in Zimbabwe in July, scoring an unbeaten 79 to guide Nepal to a three-wicket win over UAE within the seventh-place playoff. He then had the chance to play alongside the likes of Andre Russell, Shakib Al Hasan and Chris Lynn on the Global T20 Canada, the place he contributed a string of helpful 20s to Montreal Tigers’ title-winning marketing campaign.
Team news
Pakistan have an issue of loads within the allrounder division, and should have to depart out Faheem Ashraf or Mohammad Nawaz – or each – in the event that they wish to slot in Mohammad Wasim, who took a four-wicket haul for Pakistan A against Nepal in the course of the Emerging Cup in July.
Pakistan (possible): 1 Fakhar Zaman, 2 Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Babar Azam (capt), 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Agha Salman, 6 Iftikhar Ahmed, 7 Shadab Khan, 8 Faheem Ashraf/Mohammad Nawaz/Mohammad Wasim, 9 Shaheen Shah Afridi, 10 Naseem Shah, 11 Haris Rauf
Sompal Kami‘s participation on the World Cup qualifier was lower brief by a hand harm sustained throughout Nepal’s match towards Zimbabwe. He’s set to make his ODI return and lead their tempo assault alongside Karan KC.
Nepal (possible): 1 Kushal Bhurtel, 2 Aasif Sheikh (wk), 3 Bhim Sharki, 4 Rohit Paudel (capt), 5 Kushal Malla, 6 Dipendra Singh Airee, 7 Gulsan Jha, 8 Sompal Kami, 9 Karan KC, 10 Sandeep Lamichhane, 11 Lalit Rajbanshi
Pitch and circumstances
Multan hosted all three ODIs throughout West Indies’ tour of Pakistan final 12 months. All three matches produced 250-plus first-innings scores, with Pakistan chasing down 306 within the first ODI. The top-three wicket-takers in that collection have been Mohammad Nawaz, Shadab Khan and Akeal Hosein, and if circumstances play equally, spinners can count on to play a major position once more. The climate is predicted to be scorching and dry, with temperatures reaching the excessive 30s (Celsius).