Pakistan booked their place in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2025 with a hard-fought win over UAE, surviving a mid-innings collapse to register a 41-run victory.
After being reduced to 93/6 in the 15th over, a late blitz from Shaheen Afridi (29* off 14 balls) dragged Pakistan to 146/9. The bowlers then delivered, dismissing UAE for 105 in 17.4 overs.
Abrar Ahmed led the charge with an impressive 2/13, while Shaheen (2/16) and Haris Rauf (2/19) rattled UAE’s middle order. Rahul Chopra top-scored for the hosts with 35 (36), but lacked support from the other end.
India–Pakistan Rivalry Heats Up Again
With this victory, Pakistan have set up a high-voltage clash against India in Dubai on Sunday — their first meeting since the group stage drama that shook the tournament.
During their earlier encounter, India defeated Pakistan by seven wickets in a one-sided game, but the bigger talking point was the tension off the field. India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav refused to shake hands with Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha at the toss, with the entire Indian team maintaining a cold, businesslike attitude throughout.
This led to Pakistan lodging an official complaint over “unsportsmanlike behaviour” and demanding the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft. The PCB even threatened to boycott the UAE game until Pycroft “apologised” — a standoff that delayed the start by nearly an hour.
Salman Agha’s Bold Statement
Speaking after the UAE win, Salman Agha said his team is ready for India and confident of turning things around.
“We’re ready for any challenge and if we keep playing the way we have over the last four months, we’ll be good against any side,” Agha said at the post-match presentation.
The captain, however, admitted that Pakistan’s batting remains a concern.
“We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can push the total to 170 no matter the opposition. Shaheen’s batting has improved a lot — he’s already great with the ball. Saim is someone who has been bringing us back into games and I hope he continues like this till the end.”
Super Four Schedule
Pakistan will face India in their first Super Four match on Sunday in Dubai. Given the off-field drama and India’s recent dominance in the rivalry, this rematch is expected to be one of the most-watched games of the tournament.
