New Delhi: Asia Cup 2023 begins its journey with the opening encounter between the hosts Pakistan and the debutante Nepal.
The match was supposed to be houseful, as this was Pakistan’s first match after reaching the summit of the ICC ODI rankings earlier this month.
However, it seems like the Pakistani fans were not interested in their match against the Asia Cup debutantes Nepal.
Multan International Stadium, where the match is being played, has a total capacity of 35000, but it was filled only around 10 per cent of its total capacity.
The netizens were quick with their take on this news and sparked a meme fest on the social media platform X (Formerly known as Twitter). Check out their reactions below:
A complete empty Stadium in Multan. pic.twitter.com/OD0CUMJ4YF
— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) August 30, 2023
दर्शको से खचाखच खाली पड़ा मैदान…. 🤣🤣🤣#MultanStadium#PAKvsNEP #AsiaCup23 pic.twitter.com/MICCi3EyHC
— Vivek Kumar (@Vivek_bhumi) August 30, 2023
empty multan stadium 🤣🤣🤣 chale the asia cup host kerne…#AsiaCup2023 #NepvsPak #CR7𓃵 #CricketWorldCup
— ms dhoni (@mahi2007_11_13) August 30, 2023
Crazy Crowd in #PAKvsNEP Game🤣🤣
And they wanted Asia cup to happen in Pakistan, thank god it got Shifted in srilanka! pic.twitter.com/h0KTRZuZym— ᴘʀᴀᴛʜᴍᴇsʜ⁴⁵ (@45Fan_Prathmesh) August 30, 2023
Not gonna lie but my school cricket tournament had more audience than this one. #PAKvsNEP pic.twitter.com/UsSSVfYtqC
— R A T N I S H (@LoyalSachinFan) August 30, 2023
A complete empty Stadium in Multan. pic.twitter.com/c2FDBpi2oG
— Byomkesh (@byomkesbakshy) August 30, 2023
Some even blamed Pakistani Singer Aima Baig’s lacklustre performance for the empty stadiums.
Empty stadium in Multan as Aima Baig performs in the opening ceremony of Asia Cup.#PAKvsNEP#AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup23 pic.twitter.com/bZrrzcwR2b
— Classic Mojito (@classic_mojito) August 30, 2023
Pakistan fans exaggerating their craze for cricket, I think that’s true only on social media.
A country which was been deprived of hosting Global events, really disappointing to witness empty stands at Multan Cricket Stadium. #AsiaCup2023 #PAKvsNEP #AsiaCup2023 #AsiaCup pic.twitter.com/kv0RomPXBA
— paRaY_YasiR ✍️ (@ParayYasir2) August 30, 2023
Earlier, after winning the toss and deciding to bat first, Pakistan, with the help of their captain Babar Azam and middle order hero Iftikar Ahmed’s help put up a mammoth total of 342 for the loss of 6 wickets against Nepal.
1️⃣2️⃣9️⃣ runs scored in the last 10 overs! 🔥
Fireworks in @babarazam258 and @IftiMania‘s record stand lift Pakistan to 3️⃣4️⃣2️⃣-6️⃣ 🏏#PAKvNEP | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/r1U2zVxVBa
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2023
Pakistani skipper Babar Azam was the highest scorer for his team and reached his ODI number 19 en route to his 151 of 131 deliveries before getting out in the last over.
🌟 𝐂 𝐋 𝐀 𝐒 𝐒 🌟@babarazam258 notches up his second score of 1️⃣5️⃣0️⃣ in ODIs 👏#PAKvNEP | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/vGIP7bhcdp
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2023
Pakistan Iftikar Ahmed also scored his maiden century and finished with 109 not out of just 71 deliveries. His century came off of just 67 deliveries which is the third fastest century for Pakistan.
6️⃣7️⃣-ball 💯 – 3️⃣rd fastest century in ODIs in Pakistan 💪
A special maiden ODI hundred for @IftiMania 👏#PAKvNEP | #AsiaCup2023 pic.twitter.com/GfdlPTS3j4
— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) August 30, 2023
Sompal Kami was Nepal’s most successful bowler, with two wickets. Sandeep Lamichhane and Karan KC took one wicket each.
