KATHMANDU, AUGUST 30
Playing against the World No 1 One Day International team on their home soil is not an easy job for any team. Nepal's much-anticipated debut in the Asia Cup also did not go well in Multan after they faced a heavy 238- run defeat at the hands of Pakistan in the opening match at the Multan Cricket Stadium today.
Batting first, Pakistan rode on centuries from skipper Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed to score a mammoth 342-6 in their allotted 50 overs. In reply, Nepal managed to reach the three-figure mark before being packed for a paltry 104 runs in 23.4 overs.
Despite playing for the first time against Pakistan, Nepal made a bright start with the ball sending Pakistan openers Fakhar Zaman (14) and Imam-ul-Haq (five) back to the pavilion with just 25 runs on the board. Karan KC had Zaman caught behind by Aasif Sheikh in the third ball of the sixth over, while skipper Rohit Paudel ran Haq out with a direct hit in the next over.
Azam and Mohammad Rizwan revived the Pakistani innings adding 86 runs for the third wicket. After the fall of Rizwan and Agha Salman in the space of 13 runs, skipper Azam and Ahmed shared a gallant 214 runs for the fifth wicket to take the match away from Nepal, who were successful in containing the World No 1 ODI team to 184- 4 in 35 overs.
KC dropped Pakistan skipper Azam on 55 runs when the Nepali bowler failed to take a return catch despite getting his hands to the ball and the missed opportunity cost Nepal dear. Azam not only scored his 19th ODI century but also changed the gear after reaching the three-figure mark and hit Nepali bowlers all over the park. Ahmed was equally brutal at the other end as Pakistan added 129 runs in the last 10 overs.
Azam reached the century off 109 balls with the help of 10 boundaries when he took a double off Dipendra Singh Airee in the 42nd over. Azam went on to score 151 off 131 balls and his innings was laced with 14 boundaries and four sixes before being caught by substitute fielder Sundeep Jora off Sompal Kami two balls before the end of the innings. Ahmed, who scored maiden ODI century from 67 balls, remained unbeaten on 71-ball 109 that included 11 boundaries and four sixes. Wicket-keeper Rizwan contributed 44 off 50 balls with the help of six fours.
Kami, who bowled Shadab Khan in the last ball of the innings, returned with 2-85, while KC (1-54) and Sandeep Lamichhane (1-69) grabbed one wicket each for Nepal.
In reply, Nepal could not make a desired start and they lost opener Kushal Bhurtel (eight) and skipper Rohit Kumar Paudel (naught) at the hands of Shaheen Shah Afridi in the last two balls of the first over. Another opener Aasif Sheikh (five) followed soon as Pakistan reduced Nepal to 14-3 inside two overs.
Aarif Sheikh and Sompal Kami tried to build the innings together and added 59 runs for the fourth wicket. But it was all over once Sheikh fell in the 15th over as Nepal lost the last seven wickets for a paltry 31 runs. Kami top scored with 28 off 46 balls with the help of four boundaries, while Sheikh struck five boundaries in his 38-ball 26. Gulshan Jha (13) was the only other Nepali batter to score in double figures and he and Kushal Bhurtel (six) were the two batters who hit sixes - one each - in the innings.
Shadab Khan was the pick of the Pakistan bowlers taking 4-27 from 6.4 overs, while Haris Rauf (2-16) and Afridi (2-27) shared four wickets between them. Naseem Shah and Mohammad Nawaz also claimed a wicket each for the home team.
Nepal skipper Paudel credited his Pakistani counterpart Babar Azam and fellow centurion Iftikhar Ahmed for brilliant batting.
"We started well and kept the momentum going until 40 overs. But Azam and Ahmed took the match away from us in the last 10 overs. They batted really well and the credit goes to them," said Paudel.
"In batting, we could have done a little bit well. I think we need to improve in death overs in bowling and step up as a batting unit in the next match," he added. Pakistan skipper Azam said he and Ahmed revived the innings together after early set back. "We supported each other in the middle and built the innings. Congratulations to Iftikhar for a brilliant century," he said.
Asked about bowling, Azam lauded his bowlers. "A couple of overs were not up to the mark but I am satisfied with the bowling team," he added.
Nepal and Pakistan will now travel to Sri Lanka to play against India in Kandy. Pakistan will face their arch-rivals at the Pallekele Cricket Stadium on September 2, while Nepal will take on India two days later.
Nepal are playing in the Asia Cup for the first time. They had qualified for the premier tournament of the region in 2004 but the event got cancelled because of the political tensions between India and Pakistan. They had to wait for 19 years to earn a berth in the tournament, the biggest one outside ICC events. And Nepal did that in style, by winning the ACC Premier Cup on home soil in May, earning a place in Group A alongside India and Pakistan.
Group B consists of Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan. While Afghanistan are scheduled to play their both matches in Lahore, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play in Kandy. After the league round, the top two teams from both groups will advance to the Super Four stage. Out of the six Super Four matches, Lahore will host one, while five games will be played in Sri Lanka.
A version of this article appears in the print on August 31, 2023, of The Himalayan Times.
