UAE gave a good account of themselves in the last two matches against Oman which they won and also against Pakistan where they were good in patches, but couldn’t get the job done in the end. They fell short by 41 runs to bow out of the Super 4s race as Pakistan qualified for the next stage while UAE exited with some positives to their name. But there were moments where they lost the game and we will highlight those areas here.
Shaheen Afridi’s unbeaten 29 off 14 balls deflates UAE
UAE had control of the first innings with the ball keeping Pakistan under check as the Men in Green struggled despite a brilliant half-century by Fakhar Zaman. Pakistan struggled for 15 overs and looked set to get a below par score. Then entered Shaheen Afridi and he changed the game for Pakistan with willow in hand.
Much like he did against India where he played a cameo to take Pakistan to some kind of a total, here he played a breath-taking knock of 29 off 14 balls and took Pakistan to 146/9 which was defendable given Pakistan’s bowling combination and form. Afridi was the main reason why Pakistan managed to get 58 runs in the death over and while they lost wickets, they got to a competitive score. Dubai pitch was not the easiest to bat on and it proved to be the case as UAE struggled to get to 105. UAE lost the plot in the last 5 overs bowling bad deliveries and it cost them the game.
Going forward for UAE’s point of view, they need to be at their best in all phases of the game against quality sides as even if one phase goes wrong, it proves to be costly. Had they bowled better in the last 5 overs, then UAE might have been chasing a total of 120-130 and that would have been a different ball game altogether. These little things make a big difference in the outcome of the game and UAE lost this big moment.
Losing Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem inside the powerplay dented UAE badly
Chasing 147 for the win, UAE needed a solid foundation from their form openers Alishan Sharafu and captain Muhammad Waseem. But that was not to be as both were dismissed inside the powerplay. Sharafu was the first to fall for 12 off 8 balls and Waseem fell for 14 off 15 balls with Shaheen Afridi and Abrar Ahmed taking the wickets. Mohammad Zuhaib Khan too fell to Saim Ayub as UAE were on the back foot losing 3 in the powerplay.
UAE could never really recover from that position as losing both the openers pegged them back a lot against a quality Pakistan bowling line-up. As soon as Waseem fell, the writing was definitely on the wall. Yes, there was a brief resistance for the fourth wicket to show some fight, but it was always going to be a bridge too far for UAE batters once Waseem fell early as the others do not have the pedigree against big sides. So, losing both the in form batters inside the powerplay hurt them big time.
Cricket is a team game and UAE going forward needs to build a solid team of more than one individuals to challenge big sides. The team cannot be about Muhammad Waseem alone. The others need to step up now and UAE who have shown great progress will look to take the positives out of this series and come back hard in the upcoming assignments that are coming their way. The road ahead is steep but UAE will be fancying their chances against other associate nations.
Inability to play Abrar Ahmed and Saim Ayub exposed UAEÂ
It was an all-round bowling performance from Pakistan defending 146 with Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf getting 2 wickets apiece. But it was once again the spinners that did most of the damage to the UAE batters. Abrar Ahmed the mystery spinner finished his spell with figures of 2/13 in 4 overs while Saim Ayub finished with 1/18 in 4 overs. Ayub has been a flop with the bat but he is more than utility with the ball.
It was these two who choked UAE in the middle phase after they lost early wickets in the powerplay. UAE after losing Waseem early alongside Sharafu struggled to pick the Pakistan spinners. It was very shocking to see as the whole batting caved in under pressure and just couldn’t resist enough. We all felt UAE will put up a fight but they couldn’t do so as Pakistan outclassed them. There was no planning playing the spinners and UAE have been brought up to play on these pitches.
Looking ahead, UAE must find ways to play spin a lot better and prepare better in order to challenge the bigger nations. They need to do a lot of work if they want to challenge the other teams. They have shown good positive signs and are indeed the best associate nation in Asia Cup 2025. But that was not enough as they were brutally beaten by India and despite being good in patches were beaten by Pakistan by a good margin in the end. Lots of positives, but areas of concern for UAE.
What Lies Ahead
We are into the penultimate Group Game of Asia Cup 2025 as Match 11 takes us to Abu Dhabi. It is a crucial Group B clash between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan live at 8 PM IST on 18th September 2025. Will Sri Lanka deliver the knockout punch to Afghanistan? Or will Afghanistan pull off a surprise and qualify for the Super 4s. It’s a must-win clash for Rashid Khan and his men.
Let’s see how this game takes place later tonight as we are set for an epic face-off to round off Group B as we will by the end of the night know our four teams in Super 4s with India and Pakistan already through to that stage.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Shaheen Afridi’s All-Round Brilliance Takes Pakistan To Dominant Win Over UAE