Pakistan Unveil ODI World Cup 2023 Jersey Ahead of High Octane Clash vs India at Asia Cup | WATCH

Pakistan Cricket Board on Monday unveiled their new ‘Star Nation’ Jersey which will be donned by the Babar Azam-led unit during the ICC ODI World Cup 2023.

PCB chief Zaka Ashraf unveiled the new jersey to be worn by the Men in Green at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on August 28.

Pakistan have recently folded up a bilateral assignment in Sri Lanka where they whitewashed Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series. Following the successful tour, the Babar Azam-led side will now shift their focus to the highly anticipated Asia Cup, which is slated to begin on August 30.

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The co-hosts will begin their campaign in the continental tournament with the inaugural game against Nepal. After rounding off their schedule in Sri Lanka, the Pakistani squad has already reached Multan where they will play the tournament opener.

Watch:

The team took a direct flight from Colombo’s Bandaranaike International Airport and touched down at the Multan International Airport. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) shared some glimpses of the journey on X, with the caption reading, “Next stop: Asia Cup. The boys travel from Colombo to Multan.”

The clip opens with the Pakistani cricketers boarding a bus from the team hotel to reach the Colombo airport. On the way to their destination, they enjoyed some picturesque locations on the island. After reaching the airport premises, the players met a few fans who went on to click selfies with them. The scene was quite the same at the Multan airport where a number of people were waiting to welcome the Pakistan squad with felicitation shawls.

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Pakistan were mostly in the driver’s seat in the just-finished ODI series against Afghanistan. Their bowlers appeared in sublime form in the opening game where Afghanistan were bundled out for just 59 runs while chasing a target of 202 runs. In the following fixture, the Afghan brigade could show their strength in batting, producing 300 runs in 50 overs. But they couldn’t defend the total, with Pakistan securing a 1-wicket victory in the thrilling encounter. Babar Azam and Co were more dominant in the third ODI, winning the match by 59 runs to register a 3-0 clean sweep.

After the series, Pakistan called up middle-order batter Saud Shakeel to become a part of the 17-member Asia Cup squad. “He is playing spin very well, so we included him,” Pakistan skipper Babar Azam said regarding Shakeel’s inclusion, as quoted by Reuters. The southpaw will replace Tayyab Tahir, who will now remain with the team as a reserve player.