Babar Azam lands first blow with remark on India after Pakistan thrash Nepal in Asia Cup opener
Showcasing his class in the Asia Cup 2023 opener between co-hosts Pakistan and Nepal on Wednesday, top-ranked ODI batter Babar Azam played a record-breaking knock to seal a famous win for the Green Army. Pakistan’s all-format captain Babar slammed a sublime century as the Iftikhar Ahmed-starrer side crushed Nepal by 238 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Batting first in the Asia Cup opener, Babar powered Pakistan to a massive total in the 50-over contest.
Babar Azam is convinced that Pakistan’s massive win over Nepal has set the perfect platform for the duel with India (AFP-PTI)
Joining forces with power-hitter Iftikhar Ahmed, Babar notched up his 19th One Day International (ODI) century to shatter multiple records in the 50-over format. Babar surpassed several greats of the game by becoming the quickest batter to score 19 centuries in ODIs. After leading Pakistan to a comfortable win, Babar admitted that the triumph has given his side enough confidence for their upcoming encounter with India.
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‘This game was good preparation for the India game’
“This game was good preparation for the India game because it gave us confidence. We want to give 100 per cent every match, hope to do that there as well,” said Babar, who was named the Player of the Match. Babar made sure that records tumbled in Pakistan’s campaign opener against Nepal. Babar and Iftikhar recorded a match-winning stand of 214 runs from 131 balls.
The duo registered the highest fifth-wicket stand for Pakistan in the 50-over format. Babar and Iftikhar upstaged Umar Akmal and Younis Khan’s 176-run partnership for Pakistan against Sri Lanka in 2009. Babar’s 151-run knock against Nepal is the second-highest individual score in the history of the Asia Cup. The 28-year-old is also the first captain to register a 150-plus score in the Asia Cup. The Pakistani captain has surpassed Virat Kohli’s 136 against Bangladesh by achieving the massive feat. Before Babar, no Pakistan captain had scored multiple 150-plus scores in ODI cricket.
‘Rizwan gave me confidence’
“When I went in, the ball wasn’t coming on properly, so I was trying to build an innings with Rizwan. Then we had a different phase, sometimes Rizwan gave me confidence, and sometimes I gave him belief. Iftikhar also played a great innings when he came on. When he came in, I told him to play his natural game and he was comfortable after 2-3 boundaries. A couple of overs we weren’t up to the mark, but the way our pacers started and then the spinners were brilliant,” Babar said.
