Nepal defeated United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the final of the ACC men's premier cup on Tuesday at the TU cricket ground in Kathmandu. They have a seven-wicket win over UAE while chasing a target of 117. With this win, Nepal qualified for the Asia Cup 2023 in September.

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Their chase was powered by a fighting fifty by Gulshan Jha who score an 84-ball 67 along with a knock of 36(72) by Bhim Sharki. Nepal has been placed in the same group as India & Pakistan.

The place of Asia Cup 2023 initially placed in Pakistan has been a point of discussion due to political relations between India & Pakistan. The BCCI told for a neutral for the tournament. The inclusion of Nepal in the same group as India and Pakistan made it more interesting.

The qualification of Nepal in the Asia Cup is one of its biggest successes as a cricket nation. This victory will boost them up alongside will give them more confidence to win more international matches.

Moments that come during a game define the sport. Cricket is no different. All it takes is a single moment to win a game, to clinch a World Cup, to become an unsung hero, and to break millions of hearts. 2023 was no different. Some created history, and some of them rewrote history. Some empires continued rising to the top, some fell on the floor within a moment. It was not an easy task to point out the exact top 10 moments of Cricket in 2023 so, in this article, we'll look at the 10 iconic moments of Indian Cricket in 2023.

Also Read: Most International Runs in 2023

Sachin Tendulkar's record of 49 ODI centuries was not an easy one to break. Everyone thought it was impossible except the Master Blaster himself and the King of Cricket, Virat Kohli. The Delhi boy kept breaking records by scoring runs, smashing centuries, and winning plenty of matches for India. The day finally arrived when he broke the 49 ODI Centuries record by scoring the 50th ODI Century.

On November 15, during the ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final at Wankhede against New Zealand, Virat became the first player to smash 50 ODI centuries, achieving this feat in front of his idol, who was clapping for him in joy and pride in the audience.

Virat did not forget that he was a kid growing up on Sachin's heroics on the field, acknowledging the Master Blaster's claps with a bow which is not just an iconic moment of 2023 but surely go down as one of the top iconic moments in the history of Cricket.

ICT Fans enjoy the moment 😍 pic.twitter.com/iWUqnk4XMd

— 𝕂𝕠𝕙𝕝𝕚𝕊𝕥𝕒𝕟 🇮🇳 (@bholistan) November 15, 2023

The Final of the Asia Cup 2023 was played between India and Sri Lanka in Colombo on September 17. The pacer's spell of 6/21 in seven overs destroyed the Lankan team completely and bundled them out for just 50 in 15.2 overs. Siraj took the whole match away from Sri Lanka during the powerplay, reducing them to 12/6 at one point. India then went on to win the match by 10 wickets and claimed their eighth Asia Cup title.

Team India broke the record for the biggest victory (by runs) in ODIs as they defeated Sri Lanka by 317 runs in the third and final match of the ODI series in Thiruvananthapuram. India broke New Zealand's record (by 290 runs) to script history at the Greenfield Stadium. After batting first, India scored a mammoth total of 390/5 in fifty overs and then bowled out Sri Lanka in only 22 overs, at a total of 73.

Virat Kohli played an unbeaten knock of 166 off just 110 deliveries, hitting 13 fours and eight sixes. The 24-year-old Shubman Gill had also smashed a brilliant 116 off just 97 deliveries.

Shubman Gill had his breakthrough year in international cricket where he scored 2,154 runs in 48 matches with an average of 46.82 and finishes the calendar year with the most international runs in 2023 across all formats.

Gill's best knock came during India's ODI match against New Zealand in Hyderabad on January 18, when he scored 208 runs from 149 balls. He became the youngest batter to score a double century in ODIs.

Australian pacer Mitchell Starc and KKR created history on December 19, 2023, during the IPL 2024 auction. He became the most expensive player in the tournament's history after being signed for Rs 24.75 crore by the Kolkata Knight Riders. It could have been the 2024 auction but is included in the list because the auction was held in 2023.

The IPL 2023 had a fairytale ending as he hit the 10 runs required in the final two balls to win Chennai Super Kings (CSK) its fifth title. Jadeja struck a four in the last delivery to seal a five-wicket victory for Chennai in the final.

Among the ones who rushed to Jadeja following this win was Dhoni, who could not even score a run in the final. With tears in his eyes, Dhoni lifted Jadeja in the air which is surely one of the most iconic moments of Indian Cricket in 2023.

Yashasvi Jaiswal made his Test debut for India against the West Indies in Roseau on July 12, and in his first inning, the 22-year-old scored 171 runs. He became the 17th Indian batter to score a century on debut. He also became the fifth youngest batter to score a 150 on Test debut at 21 years and 196 days of age at the beginning of the Test.

Rinku Singh produced a sensational performance for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the side's 2023 Indian Premier League game against Gujarat Titans. He smashed five successive sixes when the side needed 28 to win off the last five balls. Yash Dayal was at the receiving end as Kolkata Knight Riders registered an unbelievable three-wicket victory over the defending Champions in Ahmedabad.

In a thrilling final, MI, the most successful IPL franchise in men's cricket, secured its first-ever WPL title beating Delhi Capitals by seven wickets. Harmanpreet Kaur led her side to the inaugural WPL title. MI clinched winning streaks of five matches and then three, with two losses in the middle, to claim the title. They were the favourites and ultimately, delivered in the right moment.

Australia played out a draw in the final Test in Ahmedabad but India took the series 2-1 and won the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the fourth successive time. India qualified for the World Test Championship final where they faced Australia at The Oval but unfortunately, India lost the final.

India fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has re-grabbed the number one position among bowlers in the MRF Tyres ICC Men's ODI Bowling Rankings after his sensational haul of six for 21 against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final in Colombo.

Also Read: Asia Cup 2023 Final: Mohammed Siraj takes 4 wickets in a single over to put India on top | Ball by ball detail of that insane over from Siraj

Siraj, who first grabbed the top position in January this year in ODI Bowling Rankings and was displaced by Josh Hazlewood in March, has surged eight spots after his memorable performance that helped dismiss the hosts for just 50 runs and enabled India to complete a 10-wicket victory.

Meanwhile, South Africa spinner Keshav Maharaj is another big mover in the latest weekly update that comes just over a fortnight ahead of the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 and considers performances in the last two matches of the South Africa versus Australia series and the England versus New Zealand series apart from the Asia Cup.

Maharaj, who helped South Africa become just the fifth team to win a five-match ODI series after losing the first two matches, had figures of four for 33 in the final match that helped him finish with eight wickets in the series and reach 15^th position, 10 places above his previous career best.

At the same time, other bowlers to move up the rankings include Afghanistan spinners Mujeeb-ur Rahman (up two places to fourth) and Rashid Khan (up three places to fifth). England all-rounder Chris Woakes is up to 11^th place while South Africa's Lungi Ngidi is in 21^st position.

South Africa's Heinrich Klaasen and England's Dawid Malan are big movers in the batting charts. Klaasen's cracking 174 against Australia in Centurion has lifted him into the top 10 for the first time. While Malan is at a career-best 13^th position. He scored 277 runs in the three matches he played in the series.

Also Read: Lowest ODI totals against India

Ben Stokes has gained 13 spots and moved into 36^th position with the bat. He recorded England's highest-ever score of 182 at The Oval.

South Africa's David Miller (up four places to 17^th), Sri Lanka's Charith Asalanka (up two places to 28^th), Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hassan (up five places to joint-29^th), and Australia wicketkeeper Alex Carey (up three places to joint-29^th) are among the others to move up the batting rankings.

After the demolition in the Asia Cup 2023 final, Sri Lanka captain Dasun Shanaka could step down as the captain of the side ahead of the ODI World Cup 2023 in India. Sri Lanka Cricket is all set to make it official soon. This could be the biggest setback for the Lankan side ahead of the ICC event in India. Shanaka is one of the best all-rounders in the side and has built this Lankan side into a formidable unit and the decision to step down as captain could go all wrong.

Read Also: "If The Wife Works…": Bangladesh Star Bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib's Misogynist Remarks

According to reports, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board is going to hold a meeting regarding this in some time. In which, they will take the decision about Dasun Shanaka. Shanaka was criticized a lot after the crushing defeat by India in the final of Asia Cup 2023. Questions were raised about his decision to bat first after winning the toss in cloudy conditions. This is the reason why the Sri Lankan Cricket Board is going to take such a big decision.

Dasun Shanaka as the Captain of Sri Lanka

As captain, he played 37 matches for Sri Lanka, winning 23 of them. There were defeats in 14 matches. Meaning his victory percentage was 60.5 percent. If we look at the list of his successes as a captain, we will find that he led Sri Lanka to victory in the ODI series against South Africa after 8 years and against Australia after 12 years. Sri Lanka won the Asia Cup of 2022. They also won the World Cup qualifier tournament and reached the final of the Asia Cup in the year 2023.

Dasun Shanaka thanked the crowd for showing up in great numbers to support the Sri Lankan team. "I would like to thank the fans who came in numbers, really sorry that we disappointed you. We as cricketers really love you. And congratulations to the Indian team for the brand of cricket they're playing," he said in the post-match presentation.

According to the reports, Kusal Mendis can be the next captain of the Sri Lankan cricket team in place of Shanaka.

A Bangladeshi cricketer rolled himself into controversy after misogynistic social media posts condemning working women, just days after making a brilliant international debut. Bowler Tanzim Hasan Sakib took the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma with only his fourth delivery in international cricket a few days ago in the Asia Cup.

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Tanzim Hasan Sakib has played 12 first-class matches in his short senior career. He also helped Bangladesh win the Under-19 World Cup in 2020. The BCB confirmed that the player is under investigation. "The issue came to our attention. We are looking into the matter," its cricket operations chief Jalal Yunus told AFP.

Women's rights activists and feminists went to war against the player after the misogynist social media posts came to light. "If the wife works, the husband's rights are not ensured," Tanzim posted on Facebook last year.

"If the wife works, the child's rights are not ensured. If the wife works, her elegance is damaged. If the wife works, the family is ruined. If the wife works, the veil is ruined. If the wife works, society is ruined,"

Tanzim Hasan Sakib wrote on Social Media

One of Tanzim Sakib's posts which is under the radar. pic.twitter.com/c58cZtCSLm

— Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra) September 18, 2023

In another post, Tanzim warned men about their wives. He said that their sons don't need a "modest" mother. According to the player, "a woman who is in a free mixing state with her male friends in a university" is not a good influence around her son. The post provoked a huge backlash. A Paris-based writer Jannatun Nayeem Prity pointed out that the Bangladesh team jerseys are mostly staffed by women in factories. "I feel sorry for you that you don't consider your mother a normal human being," she added.

Writer Swakrito Noman described the comments as "deeply offensive". She also demanded the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to question Tanzim for such statements. Journalist Mejbaul Haque added, "The status of such a distorted form of misogyny is unacceptable. No matter how big a star he is."

India won the Asia Cup 2023 and claimed their 8th title after defeating Sri Lanka in the Final at Colombo. The players gave their everything for the preparation ahead of the ICC Men's World Cup 2023. Bowlers hold huge roles behind a Team's glory. In this article, we'll talk about the bowlers. Let us take a look at the bowlers with the most wickets in Asia Cup 2023.

Read Also: Most Runs in Asia Cup 2023

Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka were the six teams that participated in the 16th edition of the Asia Cup. It was the first time, multiple countries hosted the competition. The top two teams from each group advanced to the Super Four stage. The top two teams in the Super 4, India and Sri Lanka faced each other in the final.

Some of the world's leading ODI bowlers including the likes of Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mohammed Siraj, Rashid Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Kuldeep Yadav, Shakib Al Hasan, Matheesha Pathirana, and Jasprit Bumrah played a key role for their respective teams in the ongoing edition of the Asia Cup.

Shadab Khan and Matheesha Pathirana were the first two bowlers to register four-wicket hauls in the Asia Cup 2023. Here's a look at the players with the most wickets in Asia Cup 2023.

Most Wickets in Asia Cup 2023: The leading wicket-takers