2025 Asia Cup: Pakistan set up India match with win over UAE

Pakistan set up another meeting against India with a 41-run victory over the United Arab Emirates at the Asia Cup.

The match began an hour late in Dubai amid the ongoing fallout from Sunday’s game against India, and Pakistan’s win to secure a place in the Super Four stage of the competition means the story will continue.

With India already qualified, the pair will play each other again on Sunday in Dubai.

The pre-match uncertainty carried into the start of the Pakistan innings and they quickly slipped to 9-2 with UAE seamer Junaid Siddique (4-18) removing both openers, including Saim Ayub for a third duck in five innings.

Fakhar Zaman helped get the innings back on track, scoring 50 from 36 balls, but Pakistan got themselves into trouble again at 93-6 soon after he was dismissed.

Just as was the case against India, it took a late cameo from Shaheen Afridi, who hit three sixes in his 29 from 14, to take them to a more respectable total - 146-9.

Afridi then made his mark with the ball, taking the first of three wickets in the powerplay as the UAE were reduced to 37-3.

A 48-run partnership between Rahul Chopra and Dhruv Parashar kept the UAE in contention but with the required rate steadily climbing, both were dismissed and a collapse to 105 all out ensued with the last wicket going down in the 18th over.

Why was the match delayed?
Pakistan said India’s players refused to shake hands after Sunday’s match - the first between the two countries since the military conflict earlier this year - and also claim match referee Andy Pycroft told their captain Salman Agha not to shake hands with his India counterpart at the toss.

Pakistan subsequently asked for Pycroft, who remained as match referee for Wednesday’s match against the UAE, to be removed from officiating at the tournament.

The game was due to begin at 15:30 BST.

Pakistan’s players remained at the team hotel as talks continued but did depart for the Dubai International Stadium about 30 minutes before the scheduled toss.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi held talks with his predecessors Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi shortly before their departure.

Soon after, organisers announced the match would begin at 16:30 BST and a subsequent PCB statement said Pycroft had apologised to “the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”.

This is the latest occasion that relations between India and Pakistan have impacted cricket.

They already do not play each other outside of global events and India’s matches at the Champions Trophy were moved to Dubai earlier this year after they refused to travel to hosts Pakistan.

Pakistan will not travel to India for next month’s Women’s World Cup, with their matches instead being moved to Sri Lanka.

India and Pakistan meet in Colombo on Sunday, 5 October.

Source: BBC

- Agencies