Pakistan Asia Cup 2023 Team Preview: Strengths, Weaknesses, Squads, Schedule, Matches, Players List

It'll be a treat for cricket lovers as Pakistan, the host nation of the 2023 edition of the Asia Cup will begin their campaign for the 3rd title on August 30th in Multan.

Babar Azam's team, which recently became number 1 in ODIs, is placed in Group A and will first face Nepal and then their fierce neighbours India in Sri Lanka on September 2nd.

Before entering the tournament, Pakistan's fearsome pace attack showcased their strength against Afghanistan as the Men in Green defeated them (3-0) in the 3-match ODI series. Before facing the Afghanis, Pakistan had played 8 ODIs this year, all against New Zealand. While they lost the 3-match series in January 1-2, Babar Azam's side thrashed the Black Caps 4-1 in the 5-match ODI series in May.

3 of their batters feature in the best batter's list with Babar Azam, the skipper leading the chart. Imam-ul Haq and Fakhar Zaman are also among the top 5 ODI batters currently. The lethal pace trio of Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf will be their biggest strength. For the 2-time winners, if they fix their middle-order woes successfully, they will be able to bring home the trophy after 11 years.

Squad
Babar Azam (c), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Haris, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi.

Where to watch
Star Sports and Disney Hotstar will livestream the Asia Cup 2023 event in India. Hotstar decided to livestream the Asia Cup 2023 for free for mobile users in India.

Group Stage Schedule
Aug 30 - Pak vs Nepal
Sept 2 - Pak vs India