Multan: The much-anticipated Men’s ODI Asia Cup 2023 begins tomorrow with Pakistan taking on Nepal in the Group-A clash at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
“We are focused on tomorrow’s game against Nepal. They have a good bunch of players, so we are not taking them lightly and we will try to play our best cricket,” Babar said.
Pakistan will fly to Sri Lanka on 31 August to play India in the second Group-A match on 2 September at Kandy. The venue will also host the third and final match of the group between India and Nepal on 4 September.
“We will plan against India when the time comes,” Babar added.
Pakistan enter the Asia Cup with momentum on their side. They topped the ICC rankings for ODI teams on Saturday after securing a 3-0 whitewash over Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. This is the second instance of the team surmounting the chart since April.
“When I got the responsibility of captaincy, my aim was to change the mindset of the team and I have been successful in doing that,” Babar said.
“We want to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We have some competitive and exciting next few months lined up and we are eager to do well for our country,” he added.
Pakistan squad: Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi and Usama Mir. Traveling reserve: Tayyab Tahir
