Pakistan’s Best Playing XI for Asia Cup 2023

Asia Cup 2023 is about to go on the floor and this year the tournament remains the highlight because it is a preparatory ground for all the participating teams for the upcoming ODI World Cup. 

Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka are the strongest teams in the tournament who would like to lift the trophy and gain some confidence for the ODI World Cup.

Pakistan cricket team remains in the spotlight because of the quality of players it has produced in the past two years. Not only in the Asia Cup but Pakistan carries the weightage of doing major damage to the opposition in the World Cup as well.

In this article, we have compiled a list of players who can be the best possible playing XI for Pakistan in the Aisa Cup.

The Opening Order

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam

It has been observed, especially in the ODI format, that the trio – Fakhar Zaman, Babar Azam, and Imam-ul-Haq have created a mysterious force in the opening order of Pakistan. They have outplayed every team, and every bowler in the team, and the whole squad is always dependent on them to give a solid start to the team.

Fakhar Zaman has scored 520 runs in 2023 at an average of 74.28 and this includes three centuries. He is currently ranked at the 5th position in the ICC rankings in ODI. Imam-ul-Haq has been more impactful in T20 format but has contributed with 191 runs in 5 matches in 2023. 

However, the batter is ranked 3rd in the ICC rankings. Now comes the ferocious batter and leader of the squad Babar Azam who has been at the top of his game for a long time. Babar has been part of 8 ODIs in 2023 and has scored 425 runs at an average of 53.12.

His leadership skills are strong and slowly and gradually Babar has made a strong team out of Pakistan’s young talent. No matter what, the teams taking part in the Asia Cup will be talking about these three batters and making strategies to get rid of their attack at an early stage.

Middle Order

Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, Shadab Khan

Pakistan is not worried about the opening order and their bowling attack. However, the team management’s major concern lies in the middle order. Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan, and vice-captain Shadab Khan will be handling things in the middle order.

Among these three, Iftikhar Ahmed has come out as a strong batsman who is versatile and can play big shots under pressure. He has been part of 4 ODIs in 2023 and has scored 1669 runs at an average of 56.33. The important part is that he has maintained his strike rate at 107 in ODIs which will come out as a positive aspect for Pakistan.

The newly introduced wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan has become a crucial player for Pakistan after playing 10 ODIs in 2023 and he has scored 366 runs at an average of 52.28. His innings included three half-centuries and a strike rate of 93.60.

Shadab Khan will be used as an allrounder and a lower-order batter who can finish the game under pressured situations. He is a well-trained and exceptional spinner who can give a shock to a batsman in the middle overs.

Bowling Lineup

Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf

Pakistan’s other strength is their pace bowling where Shaheen Afridi is expected to do the major damage with the new ball in partnership with Haris Rauf from the other end. Youngster Naseem Shah is making headlines with his performance and pace and will come out on top during the middle overs. 

Pakistan’s major problem is their spin attack where Shadab Khan will be the leading man and Mohammad Nawaz is expected to give him the required support. Faheem Ashraf will also be part of the team but his pace attack is new for the team and he can be used as an allrounder as well.