The 2023 edition of the Asia Cup will get underway on Wednesday, August 30 with hosts Pakistan taking on Nepal in the tournament opener. Pakistan will be high on confidence having beaten Afghanistan 3-0 in the ODI series playing in Sri Lanka only, where 2/3rd of the tournament will be played. On the other hand, Nepal have qualified for the tournament for the first time. However, an interesting thing was noted by the users on Twitter (X) after Pakistan Cricket shared a video of wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan talking to Nepalese players, ahead of the tournament.
Irrespective of the venue where a multi-team event is being held, the tradition of the original host's name being written under the tournament name on the badge is always followed, whether of India in the 2021 T20 World Cup which was held in Oman and the UAE or Sri Lanka in last year's Asia Cup which also took place in the UAE but it seems things are different this time around.
In the video, none of the Nepalese players or even Rizwan had Pakistan written on their Asia Cup badge. The users wondered whether it was a tweak in the tradition or will the name be there in the playing kits.
Here's the video:
Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup only twice in 2000 and 2012, will be looking to improve their record in the continental tournament as they have flattered to deceive every time they have participated. However, this time, Men in Green look one of the favourites with the balance in the line-up they have. Three batters acquire positions in the top 10 in ICC batting rankings in ODIs, they have two quality spin all-rounders and an enviable pace attack. Pakistan would hope to go all the way this time around, not just in the Asia Cup but also the bigger prize, the World Cup.
