Asia Cup: Pakistan name unchanged playing eleven for clash against India

PALLEKELE: In what comes across as a sign of confidence, Pakistan have named an unchanged playing eleven for the highly-anticipated Asia Cup clash against India to be played at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday.

The same playing eleven from Pakistan, the top-ranked ODI team, had thrashed Asia Cup debutants Nepal by 238 runs at the Multan Cricket Stadium in the tournament opener. Pakistan rose to the top of the ICC ODI rankings after securing a 3-0 series sweep over Afghanistan in Sri Lanka.

Of late, Pakistan have gathered sufficient experience of playing in Sri Lanka, starting from a two-match Test series against Sri Lanka in July. It was followed by several players, including captain Babar Azam, playing in the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

"We have been here since July. We have played Test matches, some league (LPL) matches and then the ODIs (against Afghanistan). We are hoping that this will help us to do well against India tomorrow," said Azam in the pre-match press conference.

Against Nepal, Babar and Iftikhar Ahmed feasted on a listless Nepal bowling line-up to hit centuries. "The top order has been contributing well in recent times. The boys in the middle order are trying their best to chip in and hopefully, they will be able to do it against India," added Azam.

Given the high stakes involved in an India-Pakistan clash, Azam insisted his team won’t pay heed to the external noise. "There is no extra pressure. Yes, the India versus Pakistan match is always one of high intensity. But we have experienced players and we just need to concentrate on our strengths and do well."

Pakistan playing XI: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (captain), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf