Pakistan cricket team’s batting performance improved a little bit this time while playing against the UAE. Pakistan set a target of 147 runs for the UAE to win the match. Shaheen Afridi‘s fireworks & Fakhar Zaman’s stellar knock helped Pakistan to set a par score on board for UAE. The pitch and uneven bounce.
The opening combination of Saim Ayub & Sahibzada Farhan once again failed to get the team off to a flyer. Salman Ali Agha’s struggles don’t seem to be ending. UAE would be optimistic that they can chase 147 and spoil the party of Pakistan & qualify for Super 4 stage which will be their first outing in the history of the tournament.
Pakistan is in deep trouble in the powerplay overs
After yet another time opting to bat first, Pakistan found themselves in a spot of bother. Saim Ayub, shockingly, for the third time in the tournament, got dismissed for 0. The match got started an hour late, given Pakistan cricket team was having discussions with authorities regarding boycotting the match, given the match referee Andy Pycroft’s fiasco, which ICC cleared, and he was seen as the match referee.
Sahibzada Farhan was seen struggling badly (*5 runs in 12 balls) & Junaid Siddique was making batters dance on his tone. The pitch started to misbehave and Junaid Siddique bowled immaculate line & lengths as Pakistan’s score was 9-2 in 2.4 overs. UAE players’ body language was quite intimidating & Pakistan looked clueless.
Fakhar Zaman was quite audacious in his approach, as he, along with skipper Salman Ali Agha, took the team out of a muddle. The Men in Green managed to put on 39 runs in the powerplay overs for the loss of 2 wickets. Muhammad Waseem was marshalling the troops as the field placements were commendable.
UAE pile on the pain for Pakistan
There was a ray of hope for Pakistan, given Fakhar Zaman & Salman Ali Agha were at the crease. Slowly & steadily, the partnership was forming, the surface was spinning drastically with extra drift and puff as it was no less than a Day 5 Test match wicket. Salman Ali Agha got a start, but his shot selection wasn’t up to the mark, as yet again he played a string of dot balls. At the end of 10 overs, Pakistan’s score was 67-2.
Simranjeet Singh was looking very threatening. In the 11th over, Dhruv Parashar duped Salman Ali Agha by bowling a short ball, but the Pakistan skipper failed to clear extra cover. Salman Ali Agha was sent back to the pavilion after he scored 20 runs in 27 balls and hit 2 fours.
Fakhar Zaman from the other end was fighting a lone battle. Fakhar smashed his half-century in 35 balls, and in 13 overs, the score was 86-3. Simranjeet Singh in the 14th over changed the complexion of the match; on the very first ball, he got rid of the big fish Fakhar Zaman, the decision to bowl around the wicket cramped Fakhar, and he played an awkward back-foot shot at covers but couldn’t clear the fielder. Simranjeet Singh then sent back Hasan Nawan for 3 runs in 4 balls by trapping him LBW. Pakistan, within the blink of an eye, was 87-5 for 13.4 overs.
The middle overs phase was also dominated by UAE, with Pakistan’s score being 93-5 at the end of 15 overs. Simranjeet Singh was giving ample flight to the batters who got enticed. Pakistan needed a very good finish to the last 5 overs as it is a do-or-die fixture for both teams.
Shaheen Afridi’s cameo sets up the game in death overs
Sinranjeet Singh continued to demolish Pakistan; in the 16th over, he dismissed Khushdil Shah as the decision to hit a slog sweep shot didn’t produce the desired results. Mohammad Haris astoundingly was batting at the No.7 position, which was confusing. Pakistan’s strategy of making multiple changes to batting positions is quite tough to understand.
Junaid Siddique was quite unplayable even at the back end of the innings. Mohammad Nawaz also failed to dictate the terms as Junaid Siddique got one of the key wickets as Pakistan’s score was 110-7 in 16.5 overs. Shaheen Afridi & Mohammad Haris provided the much-needed impetus as they stitched an 18-run partnership in 12 balls.
Junaid Siddique took a 4-wicket haul and conceded 18 runs in his 4-over spell, which was mesmerizing. Shaheen Afridi gave Pakistan fans something to cheer by smashing 3 back to back boundaries. Shaheen Afridi’s fiery unbeaten cameo of 29 runs in 14 balls was one of the positives for Pakistan with the bat in hand as he struck 3 fours and 2 sixes
Pakistan played 53 dot balls which is a bit too much. In the last 5 overs, Pakistan managed to score 53 runs and lost 4 wickets. UAE’s bowlers, apart from Muhammad Rohid Khan, had a very good outing & were economical in a high-voltage clash with a Super 4 berth on cards.
Who’s winning, Pakistan or UAE?
The late blitz from the bat of Shaheen Afridi might slightly help Pakistan win this contest. The new ball will spin & swing as the onus will be as usual on Shaheen Afridi to take early wickets. UAE on the other side would be hoping that the skipper Muhammad Waseem plays a gem of an unbeaten match winning knock & script history. It promises to be a cracker of 2nd innings but Pakistan seem to run away with the game unless UAE play smartly.
Also Read: Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan Aims To Secure Super 4s Spot Against Hosts UAE