Asia Cup 2023, PAK vs NEP | Analysis of Babar Azam Masterclass vs Nepal

Sai

image-lly41ph6Babar Azam defeated Nepal with a masterclass in the opening clash of Asia Cup 2023 (Source: Twitter)

The Asia Cup 2023 is on the way with Pakistan decimating Nepal, the newcomers in the tournament. The leader of the assault was Pakistan skipper, Babar Azam who scored a magnificent century to take Pakistan to a mammoth total of 342. This innings was a perfect example of why he is one of the top batters in the world in contemporary cricket. 

On a rather slowish track, Babar Azam personified elegance and technique to dominate the inexperienced Nepal bowling. He  also showed great maturity throughout this innings as he chose to take a more calculative approach when his team was in trouble at 124-4. He also formed the two big partnerships with Rizwan and Iftikhar Ahmed to keep his team ahead of the game at every stage.

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Babar's Batting Symphony: Decoding His Mesmerising Cricket Strokes

image-lly2bfudBabar's Shot-wise Runs Against Nepal

Babar's knock was a perfect amalgamation of calculative risk taking and sheer dominance. His innings of 151 from 131 balls included 14 fours and 4 sixes. 

The glance and the leg glance got him some valuable runs where he scored 7 from the glance which includes 1 boundary and 17 runs from the leg glance which includes 2 fours and 1 six. These numbers prove that he took advantage of the ball on his pads which opened the field on the leg side. Babar was determined to make the most of the short deliveries. He notched up a total of 73 runs square of the wicket. This shows his positive intent when the bowlers tried to put him on the back foot.


He was also brilliant down the ground scoring 26 runs in the region. The Pakistan skipper's offside game was exceptional as well with 28 runs coming from his signature cover drive that included one classic four and a beautiful six over extra cover. 

Conclusion

The innings played by Babar Azam tells us why he is one of the top 3 batters in the world right now. He has already announced himself on the big stage with this match winning knock. This will give him a lot of confidence going into the next game against India, where he will be a player to watch out for. It is also important for him to have the same consistency with the World Cup around the corner.