Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Nepal suffered a 238-run defeat against Pakistan in its opening match of the Asia Cup 2023 at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Pakistan on Wednesday.
Batting first after winning the toss, Pakistan scored a mammoth 342 runs for the loss of six wickets in the allotted 50 overs. Chasing 343 runs to win, Nepal capitulated for a mere 104 runs in 23.4 overs.
Nepal began bowling on a high note, dismissing both Pakistani openers within 6.1 overs with only 25 runs on the scoreboard. However, Captain Babar Azam proved to be a thorn in the side of the young Nepali bowlers, playing a remarkable knock of 151 runs off 131 balls which included four sixes and 14 fours.
The partnership between Azam and Mohammad Rizwan for the third wicket contributed 86 runs for Pakistan. Babar continued his prolific form, partnering with Iftikhar Ahmed to added an impressive 214 runs from just 131 balls for the fifth wicket. Ahmed himself secured his maiden century, amassing 109 runs from 71 balls. He hit 11 fours and four sixes in his aggressive knock.
Sompal Kami claimed two wickets for Nepal, while Karan KC and Sandeep Lamichhane each took a wicket. Two Pakistani batsmen were run out.
In the chase, Nepal’s batting suffered an early setback as the visitors losing opener Kushal Bhurtel and Captain Rohit Poudel within the first over. Bhurtel contributed eight runs off four balls, while Captain Poudel was dismissed without scoring. Opener Aasif Sheikh also fell cheaply, accumulating five runs from as many balls.
A resilient partnership between Sompal Kami and Aarif Sheikh yielded 59 runs off 78 balls for the fourth wicket, offering a glimmer of hope for Nepal. Kami contributed 28 runs from 40 balls, while Aarif secured 26 runs from 38 deliveries.
However, after this partnership was broken, Nepal lost wickets at regular intervals. Gulshan Jha scored 13 runs from 23 balls, Dipendra Singh Airee managed three runs from 11 balls, and Kushal Malla contributed six runs. Both spinners, Sandeep Lamichhane and Lalit Rajbanshi, were dismissed without scoring, while Karan KC remained not out at 7 runs.
Shadab Khan stood out among the Pakistani bowlers, taking four wickets giving 26 runs in 6.4 overs. Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf got two wickets each, while Naseem Shah and Mohammad Nawaz had one wicket each to their names.
Nepal will now travel to Sri Lanka to play its second match of the Asia Cup against India.
