Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan survive UAE scare to set up India clash
It was a dramatic day at the Asia Cup in Dubai — one that nearly saw no cricket at all. For hours, the Pakistan team sat in their hotel, waiting for clearance due to a standoff between the PCB and ICC. Bags were packed, spirits uncertain. By the time play started — an hour late — it looked like UAE were ready to steal the spotlight and progress to the Super Fours. But in the end, Pakistan clung on. They defended 146 for 9, now the third-lowest total successfully defended in Asia Cup history, to book a much-anticipated clash with India on September 21. Asia Cup 2025
Chaos before the start
Pakistan’s preparation was anything but smooth. Their practice began just minutes before the scheduled start, delayed due to administrative disputes. Head coach Mike Hesson, captain Salman Agha, and manager Naveed Cheema were seen in tense talks with match referee Andy Pycroft. Asia Cup 2025
That chaos mirrored Pakistan’s batting, which stumbled to 114 for 7 in the 18th over. UAE’s bowlers, especially Junaid Siddique with his second successive four-wicket haul, kept Pakistan under pressure. Asia Cup 2025
Fakhar Zaman didn’t flinch
—dude just dug in while everyone else was heading for the showers. Chalking up his 13th T20I fifty, he basically dragged Pakistan to something decent. And yeah, decent’s probably pushing it. But you know what? Right when you thought the wheels were completely off, Shaheen Afridi showed up—not with the ball (as usual), but swinging the bat like he had a score to settle. Pulled a wild 29* off just 14, and went ballistic in the last over—18 runs from that alone! Suddenly…boom. Pakistan scraped to 146. Is it enough? Meh, maybe not, but it beats total embarrassment. Asia Cup 2025
UAE weren’t bothered by the hold-ups, not one bit. Waseem just rolled up, took charge, and—no big deal—knocked out more T20I runs than any other Associate player ever. The bowlers? Absolute troublemakers. Rohid Khan and Simranjeet Singh kept Pakistan guessing all night. Seriously, Simranjeet even sent Fakhar packing with a slower ball that fooled everyone. Honestly, for a hot minute, it looked like UAE might pull off something wild. Giant-killing territory. But then, cue the classic Pakistan panic button: tight fielding, ruthless bowling, and suddenly, the upset dreams vanished. Asia Cup 2025
Haris Rauf finally shows up
Can we talk about Haris Rauf for a second? The guy’s been benched for the first couple matches, even though he’s basically been Pakistan’s top T20 wicket machine. Total head-scratcher, right? Anyway, he finally got a shot – and what do you know, he straight up wrecked UAE’s middle lineup, bagging two clutch wickets. Classic Rauf. After the match, Haris kept it chill (honestly, does this guy ever break a sweat?). “Yeah, man, stuff like team selection isn’t really my call. I just stay ready, back the boys, and when I get the nod, I go all in. That’s all I can do.” Basically, he lets the bowling do the talking. Asia Cup 2025
Fielding wins games, plain and simple. Pakistan had it dialed in tonight. Nawaz? Dude straight-up sprinted, snagged this wild catch at point—Waseem must’ve thought he was safe, but nope, see ya. After that, the UAE basically fell apart like a Jenga tower in an earthquake—six wickets gone for just 20 runs. Total carnage.
Looking at the grand scheme of things, this win was a hell of a lot more than just “we’re still in the tournament” for Pakistan. Honestly, it was survival mode—scraping through a rough day both in the stadium and behind the scenes. Sure, the cracks showed (and boy, were they obvious), but damn, these guys didn’t fold. Now that they’ve got that W in the bag, all eyes are glued to the main event: India vs Pakistan on September 21. It’s basically the Super Bowl of cricket, except with way more adrenaline and national pride on the line. Pakistan’s coming in hungry, absolutely itching to show the world they aren’t just a hot mess—they can turn that chaos into something legendary. Grab your popcorn. This is gonna be wild. Asia Cup 2025
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