It would have been good if the whole of Asia Cup 2023 would have been held in Pakistan: Babar Azam

Pakistan skipper Babar Azam made a straightforward remark on co-hosting the Asia Cup 2023 along with Sri Lanka, ahead of the opener against Nepal. Notably, the Men in Green will square off against debutants Nepal in the curtain raiser of the Continental championship, at the Multan Cricket Stadium, on Wednesday, August 30.

It is worth mentioning that Pakistan were initially handed the rights to host the entirety of the ACC event. However, as the BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India) and the PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) were at loggerheads over the hosting rights of the Asia Cup, the latter eventually decided to propose a 'hybrid model' so as to host one part of the event, after much deliberation with the other boards of the participating nations.

Now, with the majority of the matches being held in Sri Lanka, Pakistan skipper Babar expressed that he would have liked for the entirety of the Asia Cup to be held at home. While the Island nation will host as many as nine fixtures, Pakistan are the host for a mere four games in the ACC event. 

"If you ask me, it would have been good if the whole tournament would have been held in Pakistan, but unfortunately, nothing can be done about it. As professionals, we are ready for any schedule that is given to us. There would be travelling as well as back-to-back games and we are ready for that,” Babar said at the pre-tournament media conference.

"Our coaches and support staff have chalked out plans about how much we would utilise each player and also we have booked our flights in such a manner, that our travelling schedule gives enough time to rest," he added.

Pakistan's match against India will be a high-intensity game: Babar Azam

Babar further voiced his stance on the much-anticipated contest between arch-rivals India and Pakistan, which is scheduled to take place on September 2, at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy. The No. 1 ODI side is currently riding high on the back of a three-match ODI series win against Afghanistan and with this, Babar acknowledged that his team would look to keep their momentum intact going ahead in the Asia Cup.

"We want to continue with this momentum. Pakistan's match against India will be a high-intensity game and we want to play our best cricket on the given day," Babar concluded.