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Pakistan have announced their playing XI for the Asia Cup 2023 opener against Nepal a day ahead of the clash. The Babar Azam-led side has gone for Mohammad Nawaz over Usama Mir to further bolster their batting and provide variety to their bowling attack.
Pakistan Playing XI: Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf
Pakistan will take on Nepal at minnows Nepal at Multan Cricket Stadium and look to register a comprehensive win.
Before the tournament, Azam had expressed that he would have liked that the entire tournament would have been played on Pakistan soil.
"If you ask me, it would have been good if the whole tournament would have been held in Pakistan but unfortunately nothing can be done about it," Azam had said in the pre-tournament press conference on August 29.
However, the top-order batter revealed that arrangements have been made by coaches and support staff to make it easy for the players.
"Our coaches and support staff have chalked out plans about how much we would utilise each player and also we have booked our flights in such a manner, that our travelling schedule gives enough time to rest," the skipper said.
Before flying back to Pakistan, they completed a clean sweep against Afghanistan in the three-ODI series on Sri Lankan soil. Also, after the Test series against Sri Lanka, several Pakistan players featured in the Lanka Premier League (LPL) as well. Azam is confident that his side is ready for the challenge against arch-rivals India.
"We want to continue with this momentum. Pakistan's match against India will be a high-intensity game and we want to play our best cricket on the given day," he said.
"I needed to take the team to a different level and change mindset. Now, we have at least 3-4 players in top-10 and when you set a standard, there will be expectations and you have to fulfill those expectations. Performances should be such that the team wins," the skipper of no.1 ranked ODI team added.
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