The Asia Cup 2023 began with a glittering opening ceremony at the Multan Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.
Renowned singers Aima Baig, from Pakistan, and Trishala Gurung, who hails from Nepal, performed at the opening ceremony.
The first match of Asia Cup will be played between Pakistan, the top-ranked One-Day International side, and Nepal in the Group A clash in Multan today.
Nepal, as a team, and Multan, as a venue, will make their debut in the Asia Cup. It is also the first match between Pakistan and Nepal at the top level.
“It is always a great feeling to play in front of the passionate Multan crowd and we all are very excited that the Asia Cup is beginning from this city,” Pakistan captain Babar Azam said on the eve of the contest.
“I want to congratulate Nepal for qualifying for the Asia Cup and I hope that their participation will give a boost to the development of the sport in the country. We are looking forward to playing Nepal and I am sure it will be a good contest.”
Pakistan enter the Asia Cup on a high as they topped the ICC rankings for ODI teams on Saturday after a 3-0 clean sweep over Afghanistan in Sri Lanka. This is the second time the Pakistan team topped the chart since April.
Azam also opened up about whether there is an added pressure for being the top-ranked side during the Asia Cup.
“I would not say that there is a pressure. Rather, we enter this tournament with more confidence. This team has put in a lot of hard work and effort over the last few years and we achieving the top spot is a testimony of it. The job, however, is not done as we want to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We have some competitive and exciting next few months lined up and we are eager to do well for our country,” he said.
“Every player in this side wants to win matches for his country and raises their hand. They are always ready to put in the hard yards and never shy away from tough and difficult situations. We have had some amazing last few months and now it is time to build on the momentum.”