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Pakistan On The Verge Of Becoming The Number 1 ODI Team Ahead Of Asia Cup 

Umaima Saeed

image-llqsrf8cNaseem Shah after taking his team to victory against Afghans (Twitter)

Ahead of the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistan are currently in Sri Lanka for a three-match ODI series against Afghanistan. They have already won the first two matches and will now be looking to register a whitewash when the third and final ODI gets underway at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday, August 26.

Pakistan will become the number 1 ranked ODI team in the ICC rankings if they win the third ODI as well. Currently, they are at the second spot in ICC ODI team rankings, with 2590 points. At the top of the list is Australia with 2714 points but looks like they may have to make way for Pakistan at the summit. India ranked third in the table followed by New Zealand and England in the fourth and fifth spot, respectively.

Pakistan have played 10 ODI matches this year, from which they have lost only three. All those three losses came at the hands of New Zealand.

After wrapping up the ODI series against Afghanistan, Pakistan will take part in the Asia Cup, a tournament that they are co-hosting alongside Sri Lanka. Their first game will be against Nepal on August 30, followed by the big game against arch-rivals India in Kandy on September 2.

The current Pakistan team looks strong on paper and could give a stiff competition to other teams in the Asia Cup. Three of the top five batsmen in ICC's ODI rankings are from the Pakistan team, including skipper Babar Azam, who is right at the top of the coveted list. They also boast of world class bowlers in their ranks, especially fast bowlers. In the history of Asia Cup, Pakistan have won the title twice - in 2000 and 2012.