• Pakistan will face arch-rivals India at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday, September 2.

  • Pakistan have announced their playing XI a day before the clash against India.

Asia Cup 2023: Pakistan unveils their playing XI for marquee clash against India
Pakistan Cricket Team (Image Source: Twitter)

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The cricket world is buzzing with anticipation as Pakistan gears up to face their arch-rivals India at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium on Saturday (September 2) in the third match of Asia Cup 2023. In a surprising move, Pakistan have unveiled their playing XI a day before the high-stakes encounter.

The announcement of Pakistan’s playing XI on the eve of the match is an intriguing choice that adds an extra layer of excitement to this already electrifying fixture. This bold move follows a similar strategy employed ahead of their opening match in the Asia Cup 2023 against Nepal.

Babar hopeful of a contribution from the middle order against India

Pakistan’s line-up for the encounter against India was announced after the pre-match press conference of captains from both teams, where Babar informed that Pakistan’s playing XI would be announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). At the same time, he also acknowledged the consistent contributions from the top order but expressed the hope for more significant performances from the middle-order batters.

“The top order has been contributing well in recent times.The boys in the middle order are trying their best to chipin and hopefully they will be able to do it against India,” said Babar.

Also WATCH: Neeraj Chopra sends best wishes to the Indian Cricket Team ahead of clash against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2023

PCB names an unchanged playing XI for clash against India

Following the pre-match press conference, PCB made an official announcement regarding the playing XI for the India-Pakistan clash. Pakistan have decided to stick with the same line-up that delivered a comprehensive victory over Nepal in their previous match. Notably, Babar and Iftikhar Ahmed were the stars of the show, both notching sensational centuries, while Shadab Khan shone with a brilliant four-wicket haul.

Pakistan’s playing XI for the match against India

Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf

Also READ: Reason behind Mehidy Hasan Miraz’s runout with both batters on same side

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VISHWANATH HARIHARAN
Vishwanath Hariharan is Content Strategist at CricketTimes.com. He holds a Bachelor's degree in Journalism and Mass Communication. From breaking news stories to in-depth features and opinion pieces, he has covered a wide range of topics. Vishwanath is very fond of watching cricket. Like many others, he too grew up watching, playing, and imitating his favourite players of the game. MS Dhoni is like a demigod to him. You can connect with him at vishwanath.hariharan@crickettimes.com and follow him on Twitter & Linkedin.