The Men in Green Pakistan will aim to secure a place in the Super 4s as they face-off against UAE in a crucial Group A clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai. This is a virtual knockout game as the equation is simple. The winner will advance to the next stage while the loser goes home. India are already through to the Super 4s while Oman are already eliminated. Salman Ali Agha-led side will aim to bounce back from their loss to India.
There has been a lot of uncertainty regarding Pakistan’s future participation in the tournament after controversies hit galore after the India game. The handshake row and Salman skipping the presentation ceremony created quite a stir on social media. But Pakistan will do well to forget all that and focus on job in hand against UAE who will not be mere pushovers and are coming off a good 42-run win against Oman in Abu Dhabi. This game is important though Pakistan on paper starts as overwhelming favourites for this match on paper.
Overview
This is a crucial Group A clash as the winner goes into the Super 4s alongside India while the loser packs their bags and goes home. There has been a lot of uncertainty regarding this fixture and whether Pakistan will boycott or continue playing the tournament. The sequence of events that happened marred the clash that happened on Sunday and it has created a bitter pill to swallow for all cricket funs as Pakistan has once again created unneccessary controversy rather than focusing on the game in hand.
Match Referee Andy Pycroft was dragged into it with ICC supporting him and not heeding to Pakistan’s demands while Pakistan cancelled their pre-match press conference as well. The aftereffects of that India game is still being played out here. Pakistan will do well to concentrate on the job in hand and should not take the decision of boycotting the tournament like this.
Coming strictly to the match in hand, both the sides have had quite a similar kind of story in this tournament, They have managed to easily dispose off Oman but have been beaten badly by India. For reasons known only to them, Pakistan opted to bat first against India on Sunday evening. Saim Ayub bagged consecutive golden ducks getting out on the first ball of the game to Hardik Pandya. Mohammad Haris, who played a match defining innings against Oman, failed to counter Jasprit Bumrah. Fakhar Zaman tried to break free, but didn’t get past the 20s. The middle order failed as they lost wickets at regular intervals.
Sahibzada Farhan held one end up, but he was so scratchy in his knock of 40 from 44 balls. If it was not for Sufiyan Muqeem’s useful boundaries, Pakistan may not have reached 127/9. Shaheen’s fire with the new ball has seen a gradual decline in effect, while India saw off their front-line spinners way too easily, although Abrar Ahmed was quite economical. Ayub bowled a quality spell and picked up all three of India’s wickets to fall on Sunday. He has been good with the ball, despite failing with the bat.
On the other hand, UAE recovered well to knock fellow associate side Oman out of the tournament after they were hit by India’s storm to start their campaign. Captain Muhammad Waseem, as he always does led from the front and slammed a half-century. This time, though, he got good solid support from his opening partner Alishan Sharafu, who too scored a half-century setting a solid foundation with an 88-run partnership. Although the middle order slightly crumbled, handy cameos from Muhammad Zohaib Khan and Harshit Kaushik helped UAE to a good score of 172/5.
Junaid Siddique was too hot to handle for Oman as he rattled the opposition with a four-wicket haul. Muhammad Jawadullah, Haider Ali and Muhammad Rohid Khan combined in support of Siddique as UAE restricted Oman to just 130, staying alive in the Asia Cup with a resounding 42-run victory.
Both these two teams recently met twice in the Tri-Series with the Salman Ali Agha-led outfit winning on both occasions. All eyes will be on Pakistan with plenty at stake for both teams revolving around this do or die game. UAE hasn’t yet beaten Pakistan in the shortest format and if they wish to go to the Super 4s, they have to script history. Can they do it? It remains to be seen.
Head-To-Head
Pakistan and UAE have played with each other on three occasions and Pakistan have won all three of them. Two of them were very recently in the Tri-Nation Trophy where Pakistan outplayed UAE by batting first and winning easily. Can UAE upset the apple cards? Only time will tell.
Pitch & Weather Report
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will suit spinners more than pacers. There might be some lateral movement early on, with spinner taking control of the middle overs. Spinners can choke runs and make it tough for the batters. The batters if they get in can score runs. Scores have been on the lower side in Dubai and a score of 150-160 will be competitive. The team winning the toss might chase although Pakistan prefers batting first lately. Dew may or may not be a factor.
The weather in Dubai will once again be hot and humid which will be oppressing for the players. The day time temperatures will be high to around 40 degrees Celsius and it will be cooler at night time. The players have to adjust to the conditions and there is no chance of rain whatsoever in Dubai.
Predicted/Probable Playing XIs of both sides
Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Mohammad Haris (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Salman Ali Agha (c), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed.
UAE XI: Alishan Sharafu, Muhammad Waseem (c), Mohammad Zuhaib Khan, Rahul Chopra (wk), Asif Khan, Harshit Kaushik, Dhruv Parashar, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid Khan, Muhammad Jawadullah, Junaid Siddique
Key Players to watch out for in this clash:
Saim Ayub: Saim Ayub has been a revelation with the ball picking up crucial wickets for his side. But he has not arrived with the bat getting golden ducks. All eyes will be on him to see whether he can score runs with the bat. Ayub bats at the top and can solve a lot of problems for Pakistan if he starts scoring runs. If he does that, it will ease the pressure of the others around him especially the middle order. Saim would want to get some runs under his belt.
Abrar Ahmed: The mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed will be a player to watch out for as he has the capability of bamboozling the opposition especially the associate nations. He has been in decent form in this tournament and would want to have a breakthrough performance to take Pakistan into the Super 4s. He will be the key player once again for Pakistan.
Muhammad Waseem: The UAE skipper Muhammad Waseem will be the central figure for UAE as the team depends a lot on him. If he fires, team gets a good score. If he doesn’t, they tend to struggle. The UAE team are overdependent on Waseem to do well and he will once again be in the spotlight to do well as he is coming off a fresh half-century against Oman in the last game. He will want to carry that form into this crucial clash against Pakistan.
Junaid Siddique: The spearhead of the UAE attack Junaid Siddique will once again be in the spotlight to do well against the fancied Pakistan side. The only player to have 100 T20I wickets for UAE, Siddique leads the bowling attack with aplomb. While he was having a hot and cold tournament at the start, he came good against Oman picking up 4/23 in 4 overs to dismantle them. Junaid looked good out there and in good rhythm to bowl. He will look and be expected to carry the good form in the game against Pakistan.
Key Stats/Records to look out for in this clash:
- Salman Ali Agha is 8 runs away from completing 500 T20I runs.
- Mohammad Haris is 7 runs away from completing 500 T20I runs.
- Asif Khan is 21 runs away from overtaking Alishan Sharafu as the second highest run scorer for the UAE in T20Is.
- Sahibzada Farhan is 53 runs away from completing 500 T20I runs.
Predicted Outcome of the Match
T20 is a funny game and anything can happen. This is a do or die clash in Dubai. The winner goes to the next round, loser goes home. Whoever handles pressure shall win this game. UAE will be no pushovers and will believe they can upset Pakistan. But on paper, form and pedigree, Pakistan will start this match as overwhelming favourites and should book a place in the next round.
Which way is this game going to go later tonight? Can UAE cause an upset or will Pakistan advance to the Super 4s with a clinical win? Find out later tonight at 8 PM IST on 17th September 2025 in Dubai.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Bangladesh Holds Their Nerves To Eke Out A 8-Run Win