Pakistan captain Babar Azam has played down the pressure of the No. 1 tag in ODIs, saying entering the Asia Cup as the top-ranked team in the world only gives them confidence.

Asia Cup will return to Pakistan for the first time in 15 years and Pakistan are entering the tournament as one of the firm favourites to lift the trophy. Pakistan will open their campaign against Nepal in Multan on August 30 and there is a genuine buzz about Babar Azam’s team in the lead-up to the continental tournament.

“I would not say that there is a pressure. Rather, we enter this tournament with more confidence. This team has put in a lot of hard work and effort over the last few years and we achieving the top spot is a testimony of it,” Babar said on the eve of the Asia Cup opener in Multan.

Babar said Pakistan are hoping that all the hard work done over the last few years will give them the mileage to challenge for the Asia Cup and the ODI World Cup titles. Notably, Pakistan clinched a clean sweep against Afghanistan in a 3-match series in Sri Lanka earlier this month.

After their opener against Nepal, Pakistan will face their arch-rivals India in their second match on Sunday, September 2 in Kandy.

“The job, however, is not done as we want to win the Asia Cup and the World Cup. We have some competitive and exciting next few months lined up and we are eager to do well for our country.”

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“Every player in this side wants to win matches for his country and raises their hand. They are always ready to put in the hard yards and never shy away from tough and difficult situations. We have had some amazing last few months and now it is time to build on the momentum.”

‘GREAT FEELING PLAYING IN MULTAN’

Pakistan will host only 4 matches during the Asia Cup with one of them being a Super 4 match. Multan will host only the opener against Nepal while Lahore will host two matches, including Pakistan’s Super 4 match, provided they make it out of the group stage.

Babar Azam said he is excited to play the Asia Cup in front of their home crowd and wished good luck to the Nepal team, who have been training in Pakistan.

“It is always a great feeling to play in front of the passionate Multan crowd and we all are very excited that the Asia Cup is beginning from this city,” he added.

“I want to congratulate Nepal for qualifying for the Asia Cup and I hope that their participation will give a boost to the development of the sport in the country. We are looking forward to playing Nepal and I am sure it will be a good contest,” he added.