The men’s Asia Cup is about to get underway with the hosts Pakistan taking on Nepal in the curtain raiser at the Multan Cricket Stadium in Multan on Wednesday, August 30.
This year’s edition will feature six teams including hosts Pakistan, seven-time winners India, defending champions Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Nepal who will be making their Asia Cup debut.
Nepal have come a long way after gaining the ODI status only five years ago in 2018. They qualified for this year’s event by clinching the ten-team ACC Men’s Premier Cup in April-May and did way better than the likes of UAE and Hong Kong who have previously featured in the continental tournament.
The Rohit Paudel-led side also won 11 out of 12 games making its presence felt in the ODI World Cup League 2 table and confirmed a berth in the ODI World Cup Qualifier played in Zimbabwe.
As the name suggests, the Asia Cup features top-tier teams from the continent and the upcoming edition will be no different. The Babar Azam-led side has recently claimed the No.1 position in the ICC ODI rankings and will be itching to consolidate its position atop by winning the Asia Cup.
India, who will be led by skipper Rohit Sharma are ranked third with a total of 113 rating and 4081 points to their credit. Bangladesh are placed seventh on the table with a 95 rating and 2661 points in their kitty. They are undergoing a major overhaul as Shakib Al Hasan has been asked to lead the side in the ODI format too after Tamim Iqbal decided to step down from the role.
The defending champions and the winners of the ODI World Cup Qualifiers Sri Lanka are eighth on the ladder with a rating of 87 and 2794 points. Meanwhile, Afghanistan, who have made a name for themselves in the white-ball circuit lately are holding onto the ninth position with a rating of 84 and 1605 points.
Debutants Nepal are the lowest-ranked side in the tournament as they are placed in the 15th position with just 35 ratings and 1396 points.