World No. 1 Pakistan included Shakeel in its Asia Cup roster

Following their 3-0 series victory over Afghanistan, Pakistan has added middle-order batsman Saud Shakeel to their Asia Cup roster and will enter the competition as the top-ranked ODI side. The team of Babar Azam won the third one-day match on Saturday by 59 runs to win the series and pass Australia at the top of the ODI rankings. Tayyab Tahir, a left-handed batsman who was a member of the initial 17-man roster but will now travel with the team as a reserve, gets dropped in favor of left-handed batter Shakeel, according to a statement from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Following their rout of Afghanistan, co-hosts of the Asia Cup Pakistan will play Nepal in the opening match of the competition on August 30 in Multan before traveling to Sri Lanka for their second group match against India on September 2.