Asia Cup trophy in Pakistan (Twitter)
The Asia Cup 2023 is all set to unleash at the Karachi International Stadium as the hosts and the number one ODI side in the World, Pakistan go head-to-head against Nepal in the curtain raiser.
Pakistan are expected to dominate the game but cricket is a funny old game and you can never rule out any opposition before the start of the game. This is a great opportunity for Nepal to show their mettle on the big stage against one of the best teams in the world and it could be a fascinating battle as Pakistan will take on Nepal for the first time in ODI cricket.
The correct fantasy team selection is critical in such games where one team is comparatively unknown and toss also becomes very critical. Most of the teams will have same set of players in their side and in such situations, one differential pick, especially from a weaker side can make a whole lot of difference.
Let's now try to analyze what could be the best possible fantasy teams in case of different toss results -
If Pakistan Bowls First
If Pakistan bowls first, it is important to take as many Pakistan bowlers in the team as possible. There is high chance of Nepal getting all-out on a low score against a quality of Pakistan's bowling and in such a case, selecting only top 3 Pakistan batters or top 4 can be a wise option with rest all bowlers.
One can go with all-round options from Nepal team but is would be apt to select as many Pakistan players as possible. Naseem Shah and Shaheen Afridi will open the bowing for Pakistan and their swing and accuracy could prove too hot to handle for Nepal batters. Selecting them as captain and vice-captain can be a good bet or one can also select one of Pakistan's opener as vice-captain with Shaheen Afridi as captain.
| Wicketkeepers | Aasif Sheikh |
| Batters | Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman |
| All-rounders | Shadab Khan, Dipendra Singh Airee, Mohammad Nawaz |
| Bowlers | Shaheen Afridi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah |
Captain - Shaheen Afridi
Vice-captain- Naseem Shah
If Pakistan Bats First
If Pakistan does bat first, then it is necessary to include their top 4 batters in the team and one of them can be made captain of the side. Imam-ul-Haq has been in good form and so has been Babar Azam, and these two are safe captain's choice. Fakhar Zaman though might also enjoy Nepal's bowling attack and can go big if Pakistan bats first.
One can drop Mohammad Nawaz if Pakistan is batting first and go with Rizwan who might get a good score under his belt, if he gets enough game time.
| Wicketkeepers | Mohammad Rizwan |
| Batters | Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq |
| All-rounders | Dipendra Singh Airee, Gulshan Jha, Shadab Khan |
| Bowlers | Sandeep Lamichhane, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Afridi |
Captain - Fakhar Zaman
Vice-captain - Shaheen Afridi
