Asia Cup 2023: Ranking top 5 strongest partnerships in tournament's history

Asia Cup 2023 kicked off with a bang with hosts Pakistan hammering first-time participants Nepal by 238 runs in the opening game played at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Sri Lanka and Bangladesh played out an edge of thriller in the next with the hosts emerging victorious in the second match. 

In the inaugural match, Pakistan’s skipper Babar Azam and middle-order Iftikhar Ahmed stitched a 214-run partnership for the fifth wicket and broke into record books. This went down as the third-most successful partnership in the history of the continental tournament. 

Discussing more, here are the rankings of the five best partnerships in the history of the Asia Cup 

5. Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed (214 runs in Colombo) against Nepal in 2023

As we discussed earlier, Pakistan vanquished Nepal in the inaugural game of the 2023 Asia Cup and earned two points in Group A. The credit for this emphatic triumph should be given to Babar Azam and Iftikhar Ahmed who formed an enormous 214-run partnership for the fifth wicket to shatter the confidence of the opponents.

Earlier in the contest, Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and elected to bat first. After the first half of their innings, the Men in Green were four down at a score of 124 in 27.5 overs. Things started changing after Iftikhar’s arrival. The right-handed batter opted to attack the bowlers and he succeeded in doing so comfortably.

He got the support of his skipper Babar, who held one end with his sensible batting. Babar concluded his innings after amassing 151 runs off 131 deliveries. Iftikhar notched up his maiden international ton and went back to the pavilion with his score of unbeaten 109 off just 71 balls. The Pakistan skipper won the Player of the Match award for his spunky knock.

Also see: Most Runs in Asia Cup 2023