Multan Cricket Stadium – Venue Details & Pitch Report

Average First Innings Score in ODIs since 2022: 283

Batting First vs Batting Second in ODIs since 2022: Win Bat 1st - 67%, Win Bat 2nd - 33% 

PAK-NEP Players in the top 10 leading run-scorers list in ODIs since 2022: Imam Ul Haq(1), Babar Azam(2), Shadab Khan(5), Mohammad Rizwan(7), Fakhar Zaman(9)

PAK-NEP Players in the top 10 leading wicket-takers list in ODIs since 2022:  Mohammad Nawaz(1), Shadab Khan(2), Haris Rauf(4) Mohammad Wasim(6), Shaheen Afridi(8), Hasan Ali(9)

Pitch Report: Even though the pitches used during PSL were completely high-scoring with very little assistance for the bowlers, it has not been the same case in the internationals. 

Pakistan played a 3-match ODI series against West Indies in 2022 and we saw run scoring but also spinners getting in the wickets especially on a dry wicket.

Since this is the first match, we expect a fresh wicket and it will not be a good idea to load up on spinners but once the surface is used, spinners might play a bigger role in the upcoming matches.

Predicted Playing XI - Pakistan vs Nepal, Match 1, Asia Cup 2023

Pakistan: Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq, Babar Azam©, Mohammad Rizwan(wk), Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Agha Salman/Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf

Nepal: Kushal Bhurtel, Aasif Sheikh(wk), Bhim Sharki, Rohit Paudel©, Aarif Sheikh, Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulsan Jha, Sandeep Lamichhane, Karan KC, Lalit Rajbanshi

Stat Box - Pakistan vs Nepal, Match 1, Asia Cup 2023

PAKISTAN

Performances of Pakistan players in ODIs at Multan:

Imam ul Haq: Inns - 3, Runs - 199, Avg - 66, 50s - 3

Babar Azam: Inns - 3, Runs - 181, Avg - 60.3, 50s - 1, 100s - 1

Shadab Khan: Inns - 3, Runs - 114, Avg - 38, HS - 86, 50s - 1, Wickets - 7, Best - 4/62

Mohammad Rizwan: Inns - 3, Runs - 85, Avg - 28, HS - 59, 50s - 1

Fakhar Zaman: Inns - 3, Runs - 63, Avg - 21

Mohammad Wasim: 17*, 6

Mohammad Haris: 6, 0

Mohammad Nawaz: Inns - 3, Wickets - 7, Best - 4/19

Haris Rauf: 4w, 0w

Shaheen Afridi: 2w, 1w

Hasan Ali: 2w, 0w

NEPAL

Performances of Nepal players in ODIs since 2022:

Rohit Paudel: Inns - 40, Runs - 1166, Avg - 32.3, 50s - 5, 100s - 1

Aasif Sheikh: Inns - 35, Runs - 998, Avg - 31, 50s - 8, 100s - 1

Dipendra Singh Airee: Inns - 39, Runs - 698, Avg - 20.5, 50s - 3, 100s - 1, Wickets - 34, Avg/Eco - 31/3.8

Aarif Sheikh: Inns - 23, Runs - 739, Avg - 28, 50s - 6, Wickets - 6

Kushal Bhurtel: Inns - 37, Runs - 842, Avg - 23, 50s - 5, 100s - 1

Bhim Sharki: Inns - 21, Runs - 452, Avg - 35, 50s - 3

Karan KC: Inns - 32, Wickets - 52, Bowl Avg/Eco - 25/5.2

Kushal Malla: Inns - 18, Runs - 541, Avg/SR - 34/107, 100s - 1, 50s - 3, Wickets - 11, Bowl Avg/Eco - 28/5.1

Sompal Kami: Inns - 35, Runs - 290, Avg - 18, Wickets - 48, Bowl Avg/Eco - 28/4.9

Gulshan Jha: Inns - 20, Runs - 424, Avg - 35.3, 50s - 3, Wickets - 21, Bowl Avg/Eco - 21.5/6

Sandeep Lamichhane: Inns - 33, Runs - 262, Avg - 16, Wickets - 70, Bowl Avg/Eco - 20.¼.4

Lalit Rajbanshi: Inns - 16, Wickets - 28, Bowl Avg/Eco - 17/3.5

Kishore Mahato: 2w, 0w

Fantasy Notes - Pakistan vs Nepal, Match 1, Asia Cup 2023

Points to Consider

  • Pakistan are overwhelming favourites to win this match against a Nepal team that will be facing one of the strongest bowling attacks in the world and a settled batting unit.
  • Currently, Dipendra Singh Airee offers good fantasy value among the picks from Nepal due to his all round value and he has been in decent form in recent games.DS Airee in WC Qualifiers: Inns - 6, Runs -161, Avg/SR - 40/95, 50s - 1, Wickets - 4
  • Shaheen Afridi in particular will be a big threat against the Nepal top order in the powerplay and it is right to assume that they also struggle against this bowling type. Among the top 5, Aasif Sheikh has played left-arm pace relatively better than the others but even then, it will be a bigger challenge altogether when facing a world-class bowling unit like Pakistan.
  • It is a better game for high risk leagues and GLs compared to small leagues due to the gap in quality between the two sides, and the margin of winning and losing a contest will come down to a C/VC or the final pick - making it very volatile.
  • If Pakistan bats first, loading up on their top 4 is a safe bet despite the mixed form of Fakhar Zaman. While Nepal has some good bowlers who have the potential to pick up wickets upfront, we will have to see if the pitch laid at Multan offers enough assistance for the bowlers to take out batters who are experienced in these conditions.
  • If Pakistan bowls first, C/VC-ing two of their bowlers looks to be a great idea as most managers will expect Nepal to be bowled out for a low score. In this case, it will be risky to exclude any of Pakistan's bowlers. 
  • In the case of a Nepal top order collapse, their lower middle order comprising Kushal Malla, Dipendra Singh Airee and Gulsan Jha have the potential to contribute runs. They have also been some of the top performers for Nepal in this format recently.
  • Sandeep Lamichhane is Nepal's trump card as a leg spinner and he has also improved his lower-order hitting in recent tournaments. If there are very few runs to defend, he might not have enough cause to put pressure on the Pakistan batters and as we know, Pakistan has good anchor-type batters in their top 4 who can work their way through the chase safely.

 

Note: Return after 15 minutes of the toss for a fully updated XI, Also stay tuned to our telegram channel for regular updates

Stats Credit: Cricinfo, Cricmetric

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