Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan's strongest XI

Cricket fans are eagerly waiting for the Asia Cup 2023 which is less than three weeks away. The marquee tournament will be jointly hosted by Pakistan and Sri Lanka and this time, India and Pakistan are among the favourites to lift the trophy while Bangladesh and Afghanistan have the potential to perform turnarounds in the competition.

Recently, Pakistan announced a 17-member squad for the upcoming competition. As a host, Pakistan will look to take home advantage and clinch the distinguished trophy after 11 years under Babar Azam’s captaincy. This competition will be crucial for Pakistan as they will be able to analyse the preparation for the World Cup 2023, following the conclusion of the continental tournament. 

Here is Pakistan’s strongest XI for the Asia Cup 2023

1. Fakhar Zaman

Fakhar Zaman’s responsibility will be to provide fierce starts to Pakistan in the competition. In the 2018 edition of the tournament, the southpaw failed to be among the runs. Playing five matches, he scored only 56 runs at an underwhelming strike rate of 62.22.

This time, he will look to improve his numbers in the Asian tournament. His batting record is exceptional on his home soil as he has racked up 817 runs in 17 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) at a strike rate of 89.19. Zaman has done exceptionally well in one-day cricket this year. In the three-match ODI series played against New Zealand in January, he scored 157 runs in three matches at a superb average of 52.33.

New Zealand toured Pakistan again in April to play five ODIs and this time, Zaman ended up as the leading run-scorer, with 363 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 99.45. In the series, he also notched up a couple of tons and helped his team hammer the visitors comfortably.