MULTAN, Aug 30 (APP): The skipper Babar Azam started off the Asia Cup 2023 by scoring 151 runs while Iftikhar Ahmed smashed his maiden century, and posted a huge total against Nepal at Multan Cricket Stadium here on Wednesday.
Pakistan chose to bat first after winning the toss in the opener match of the Asia Cup 2023. The green shirts lost both the openers, Fakhar Zaman (14) and Imamul Haq (5), early on. With the fall of two wickets, the duo skipper Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan played a vital knock and somehow managed to recover their side.
The Nepal bowlers put Pakistan under pressure at a time when the top order was dismissed. The Nepalis were brilliant in the field and managed to run out Imamul Haq and Mohammad Rizwan.
Pakistan was at one stage 25/2 and later 124/4 but Babar smashed 151 runs registering his 19th ODI century accompanied by Iftikhar Ahmed who also scored a century and recorded the highest fifth wicket partnership of 214 runs.
The strong partnership of the 5th wicket helped Pakistan to set a strong target of 343 runs against Nepal.