Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan outplay UAE to book super fours clash with India

DUBAI: Fakhar Zaman’s brisk half-century and a dominant bowling display helped Pakistan secure a crucial win in the Pak vs UAE clash, booking their place in the Super Fours of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025. Pakistan will face India next in the Super Fours on Sunday, September 21, at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Batting first, Pakistan were restricted to a modest 146-9 in 20 overs despite Shaheen Afridi’s late fireworks. Early losses for Pakistan saw Saim Ayub fall for his third consecutive duck, followed quickly by Sahibzada Farhan. Fakhar Zaman and captain Salman Ali Agha steadied the innings with a 61-run partnership, taking Pakistan past early trouble. Fakhar went on to score 50 off 36 balls, hitting three sixes and two fours, while Salman managed 20 off 27 deliveries before being dismissed. Shaheen Afridi contributed a quick 29 off 14 balls to push Pakistan to a competitive total.

In response, UAE struggled under pressure in the Pak vs UAE clash. Openers Alishan Sharafu and Mohammad Waseem added 21 for the first wicket before Sharafu was dismissed for 12 and Waseem for 14. The middle order failed to accelerate, and despite a 48-run stand between Dhruv Parashar and Rahul Chopra, wickets fell at regular intervals, leaving UAE at 150 all out in 17.4 overs. Chopra was the top scorer with 35 runs, while the rest of the batting line-up struggled to chase the target.

For Pakistan in the Pak vs UAE game, Abrar Ahmed, Shaheen Afridi, and Haris Rauf each took two wickets to dismantle the UAE batting order. On the bowling side for UAE, Junaid Siddique was the standout with four wickets, while Simranjeet Singh claimed three scalps.

The Pak vs UAE match highlighted Pakistan’s ability to recover from early setbacks with both bat and ball, securing a vital victory and setting up a high-stakes encounter against India in the Super Fours.

Pak vs UAE Playing XIs

Pakistan’s XI includes Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, captain Salman Agha, Hasan Nawaz, wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz, Haris Rauf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Khushdil Shah and Abrar Ahmed.

UAE’s XI features Alishan Sharafu, captain Muhammad Waseem, Asif Khan, Muhammad Zohaib, Harshit Kaushik, wicketkeeper Rahul Chopra, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Junaid Siddique.

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