ATOP the One-Day International rankings, Pakistan embark on their Asia Cup campaign looking to set a marker for the upcoming World Cup. They kick off proceedings against minnows Nepal in Multan on Wednesday, in a tournament they were supposed to host in full but then had to agree to see its final part being played in Sri Lanka as India was reluctant to send their team across the border.

Babar Azam’s men completed a 3-0 whitewash of Afghanistan last week. Spirits, therefore, are high, and Pakistan enter as favourites to win the tournament and head to the World Cup as the continent’s top side. A measure of how prepared they are, however, will come in their second group game against India.

The game would be the first time the two sides, who don’t play each other in bilateral series, clash in an ODI since 2019. And the format is such that they could meet each other three times should both reach the final on Sept 17.

Winning against India would be an extra incentive for Pakistan. For the country, hosting the Asia Cup was a chance to show its readiness to hold the Champions Trophy in 2025. India’s insistence that their team wouldn’t travel has seen that opportunity vanish, but Nepal, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh will play at least one match in Pakistan during the tournament.

Pakistan, despite some concerns over the relatively inexperienced middle order, are the most in-form team heading into the contest. Therefore, fans will miss the chance to see their stars in action before they begin their World Cup quest.

Apart from the opener, Pakistan potentially have one more game on home soil depending on the results of the first stage. Last year, Pakistan lost the Asia Cup final — when it was played in the T20 format — and then lost the decider of the T20 World Cup. The hope is that they will do better this time.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2023