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DUBAI: Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha opened up after his side’s six wicket defeat against arch-rivals India in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

This was Pakistan’s second loss against India in a week, having previously beaten by seven wicket in the group stage fixtures of the continental tournament.

For India, it was Abhishek Sharma ruthless knock that steered them to a commanding victory despite their sloppiness in the field during Pakistan’s innings.

After dropping the catches in the field, Abhishek went to score a sublime 74 from 39 balls, laced with five effortless sixes and half a dozen fours.

For Pakistan, Sahibzada Farhan was the lone-bright star, scoring 58 off 45 balls.

Speaking in the post match press-presentation, Agha said that Pakistan is yet to play at their best while mentioning that India took the game away in the powerplay.

“We are yet to play a perfect game, but we’re getting there. It was a great contest, though they really took the game away in the powerplay,” he said.

The skipper mentioned they were 10-15 runs short, particularly after the start they have got in the first 10 overs.

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“We didn’t put enough runs on the board. At 91/2 after 10 overs, we should have pushed for 10–15 more. Still, 171 is a challenging total.

“Credit to them — their powerplay batting made the difference in the end.
In T20 cricket, if your bowlers are going for runs, you have to make changes. It’s about finding the right man at the right time,” Agha explained.

Despite the defeat, he remained confident, emphasizing the players contributions as a plus point and backed Pakistan for their next game against Sri Lanka.

“There are positives for us. Fakhar and Farhan batted well, Haris Rauf and Faheem Ashraf bowled strongly.

We’re still very much in it and looking forward to our next game against Sri Lanka,” he concluded.

READ: WATCH: Shaheen, Rauf engage in war of words with Sharma

DUBAI: Pakistan left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi were involved in a heated exchange with India’s opener Abhishek Sharma during the Super Fours second match in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

The incident happened during the opening ball of India’s innings when Sharma tonked Afridi for a six.

After conceding a six, Shaheen exchanged words with Abhishek during his follow-through. In reply, the soutpaw said something to Shaheen that did not sit well with him.

Later on, speedster Haris Rauf was also seen saying a few words to Abhishek Sharma.

This happened in the last over of the powerplay when Gill crunched Haris for a four and called out the pacer immediately, while Sharma at the non-striker’s end joined the sledging.

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Haris Rauf faced the Indian openers, Sharma and Gill, prompting the on-field umpires to step in and defuse the situation.

Nonetheless, India cruised to a comprehensive win in the second last over on the loss of just four wickets. Tilak Varma made 30* not out off 19 balls, while Hardik Pandya remained unbeaten on seven.

Earlier, it was Abhishek Sharma’s onslaught that set the tone for India’s easy win. He, alongside Shubman Gill, made light work of the chase with a solid opening partnership of 105 runs.

Gill made 47 from 28 with the help of eight fours, while Sharma hit five sixes and six boundaries on his way to 74 from 39 balls.

READ: India outplay Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours

DUBAI: Abhishek Sharma’s imperious knock propelled India to a comprehensive win over Pakistan in the second match of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 Super Fours here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

India made light work of the chase, losing just four wickets and finishing with seven balls to spare.

In pursuit of the target, the Men in Blue openers came out all guns blazing, particularly Abhishek Sharma, whose effortless shots were a sight to watch.

The left-hander pummelled the Pakistan bowlers all around the park, powering India to 69-0 in the powerplay.

Even after the field restrictions were lifted, India’s onslaught continued with Sharma racing to his half-century in just 24 balls.

Pakistan finally got a breakthrough in the form of Shubman Gill, who was bowled by Faheem Ashraf for a well-made 47 from 28 balls. Gill crunched eight boundaries in his fluent knock.

Soon after, Suryakumar Yadav was sent back for a duck as Pakistan sensed an opening. At this stage, India were 106-2 in 10.3 overs.

However, Abhishek Sharma continued on his merry way and kept Pakistan bowlers at bay with sublime hitting.

With India requiring just 49 from 48 balls, Abhishek eventually departed, holing it out to long on. His 74 off 39 balls included five towering sixes and half a dozen fours.

The Men in Blue were over the line in the second last over, with ice-cool Tilak Varma and Hardik Pandya adding 26* from 13 balls on the fifth wicket. Varma scored 30* off 19, whereas Pandya made seven not out.

For Pakistan, Haris Rauf picked up two wickets while Faheem Ashraf and Abrar Ahmed managed to scalp one apiece.

Earlier, Sahibzada Farhan’s gutsy half-century and Faheem Ashraf’s late cameo powered Pakistan to a strong total against India

Put into bat first, Pakistan racked up 171-5 in their 20 overs.

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The new opening pair of Fakhar Zaman and Sahibzada Farhan started solidly as they raced to 21 in 2.3 overs.

However, Hardik Pandya removed Zaman, who was looking dangerous after making 15 off nine balls. Yet, Pakistan charged and reached a decent score of 55 at the end of the powerplay with Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub at the crease.

The duo added another 38 before Saim was removed after trying to pull a shorter length delivery. He made 21 off 17 with the aid of a six and four. Meanwhile, Farhan held firm and reached his half-century in the process.

At this stage, Pakistan were 93-2 in 10.3 overs.

However, India fought back in the middle overs, taking wickets at regular intervals, which halted Pakistan’s progress. The Men in Blue struck on the first balls of the 14th and 15th over, respectively.

Farhan was the first to go, whereas Talat followed him after with a sluggish knock off 10 from 11 balls. Farhan remained the top-scorer with 58 from 45 balls, laced with three sixes and five fours.

Eventually, Pakistan reached a good score, courtesy of Faheem Ashraf’s cameo, who made 20 off eight, striking two sixes and a four.

For India, Shivam Dube remained the pick of the bowlers, picking up crucial two wickets in the middle overs with medium pace bowling. Kuldeep Yadav and Hardik Pandya picked one wicket each.

READ: ‘Pycroft is not a schoolteacher’ Ashwin slams Pakistan over handshake row

DUBAI: Dubai Police has issued a safety alert to the spectators ahead of the India-Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 clash, which is set to begin at Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

The alert released on Sunday stated that spectators should check their tickets for validity and enter through the assigned gates.

According to the advisory, strict penalties apply for violations, including pitch invasions, carrying banned items, or abusive behavior, which can result in fines ranging from Dh5,000 to Dh30,000 and up to three months in prison.

For maximum outreach, the public safety alert was automatically delivered to all cellular phones within the vicinity of Dubai Sports City.

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“Your adherence to the instructions of the police and private security is a means to protect everyone,” the advisory said.

“Ensure your ticket is valid… and enter through the gate assigned to you according to the organizers’ instructions. We appreciate your cooperation in making the championship safe and successful for everyone. (Dubai Police), ” it added.

Pakistan squad: Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

India squad: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh.

READ: Pakistan seek redemption against India after handshake row

DUBAI: India have won the toss and opted to bat first against Pakistan in the second match of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Super Fours here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Playing XIs

Pakistan: Salman Agha (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hussain Talat,  Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Shubman Gill (vc), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Sanju Samson (wk), Axar Patel

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD: 

Both teams have faced each other 14 times in the T20I format. India have won 11 out off 14 encounters, whereas Pakistan have only managed to secure three wins.

For context, Pakistan and India are set to face each other for the second time in the Asia Cup 2025. In their previous meeting, India comprehensively defeated Pakistan in a one-sided affair.

READ: Litton Das overtakes Shakib Al Hasan’s T20I record in Sri Lanka victory

Kenya’s Sabastian Sawe won the Berlin Marathon for the first time on Sunday, narrowly missing a personal best in just his third marathon attempt.

Sawe finished in 2hr 02min 16sec, 11 seconds slower than his personal best set in Valencia in 2024.

Sawe’s time is joint-ninth fastest in history, but fell outside the late Kelvin Kiptum’s world record time of 2:00:35 and Eliud Kipchoge’s course record of 2:01:09, set in 2022.

Japan’s Akira Akasaki finished second in a time of 2:06:15, and Ethiopia’s Chimdessa Debele completed the podium with 2:06:57.

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The men started fast in the warmer-than-usual conditions in the German capital, recording the fastest opening kilometre in the race’s history.

Sawe and the leading pack, including 2024 winner Milkesa Mengesha and Gabriel Geay, kept up the record pace early and were on track for the world mark inside the first 10 kilometres.

Sawe then separated himself from the leaders with a 15-kilometre run, opening up an 11-second gap over Mengesha.

The 29-year-old Sawe had run negative splits in both of his previous marathons but fell off the pace slightly in the second half of the race as the mercury climbed in Berlin.

Despite missing a personal best or challenging the course record of his mentor Kipchoge, Sawe’s time is the best in the world for 2025, 11 seconds faster than his previous mark set in London in April.

READ: ‘Pycroft is not a schoolteacher’ Ashwin slams Pakistan over handshake row

Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has hit out at Pakistan for targeting match referee Andy Pycroft in the aftermath of the much-debated handshake controversy during the Asia Cup 2025.

The issue erupted after India and Pakistan clashed in Dubai last week, their first meeting since cross-border tensions resurfaced in May.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanded Pycroft’s “immediate removal” after he instructed captain Salman Ali Agha to skip the customary handshake at the toss.

This sparked days of fallout, including Pakistan delaying their match against the UAE amid tense talks with the ICC.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

The matter was only resolved once Pycroft met the team management, explained his position, and privately apologised.

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ravichandran Ashwin defended Pycroft and accused Pakistan of manufacturing unnecessary drama.

He argued that the referee had merely conveyed India’s stance to avoid an awkward on-field moment.

“Andy Pycroft actually saved everybody from seeing such a poor spectacle. India had informed the referee in advance that this was our decision, and we would stick to it. He simply passed on the message,” Ashwin explained.

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The veteran spinner stressed that Pycroft was unfairly made the scapegoat for a decision that lay solely with the Indian players and the BCCI.

“If no handshake was your problem with India, why were you looking for an answer to that problem in the UAE game? Why did you make Andy Pycroft the scapegoat? He has done nothing wrong,” Ashwin said.

“He is not a schoolteacher or a principal who can drag players together and make them shake hands. That’s not his job. What exactly is Pycroft’s fault here?” he added.

Ashwin concluded by underlining that the Indian players had been clear about their position from the outset, and the matter should have ended there rather than spiralling into controversy.

READ: Litton Das overtakes Shakib Al Hasan’s T20I record in Sri Lanka victory

Bangladesh skipper Litton Das etched his name in history on Saturday, surpassing veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan to become the country’s all-time leading run-scorer in T20I cricket.

He set this record during his team’s four-wicket victory against Sri Lanka in the Super Four match of the ACC Asia Cup 2025 at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi.

Das, who scored a brisk 23 off 16 deliveries, moved past Shakib’s tally of 2,551 runs to claim the record.

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The 30-year-old now has 2,556 runs in 114 matches at a strike rate of 126.59, including 15 half-centuries. Shakib, meanwhile, accumulated 2,551 runs across 129 games at a strike rate of 121.18, with 13 fifties.

Most T20I runs for Bangladesh

• Litton Das – 2,556*
• Shakib Al Hasan – 2,551
• Mahmudullah – 2,444
• Tamim Iqbal – 1,701
• Mushfiqur Rahim – 1,500

Litton’s milestone was part of a dramatic evening for Bangladesh, who chased down a 169-run target with just one ball to spare, sealing a four-wicket victory in their opening Super Four fixture.

Opener Saif Hassan anchored the innings with a composed 61 off 45 balls, while Towhid Hridoy added fireworks with a blistering 58 from 37 deliveries. The duo shared a 54-run stand for the third wicket, steering Bangladesh to a position of control.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

Despite late jitters in the final over, when Dasun Shanaka struck twice, Nasum Ahmed struck the winning shot, taking Bangladesh to 169/6.

Earlier, Shanaka had also shone with the bat, smashing an unbeaten 64 off 37 balls, featuring six sixes and three fours, to lift Sri Lanka to 168-7.

Mustafizur Rahman was the pick of the Bangladeshi bowlers with 3/20, while Mahedi Hasan bagged two wickets.

READ: Wasim Akram shares key advice for Shaheen Afridi ahead of India clash

Legendary Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram has advised Shaheen Shah Afridi to avoid predictability with the new ball during their Super Four clash against India in the ACC Asia Cup 2025.

Akram suggested that Afridi must be smarter with his lengths if he is to trouble Indian vice-captain Shubman Gill, who was recently dismissed by Omani pacer Shah Faisal with a late-swinging full delivery in India’s group-stage match at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium.

“That’s what I want Shaheen Afridi to do early on, because the whole world now knows the plan against him,” Akram said.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

“Everyone says, ‘Okay, he’ll be bowling yorkers first up.’ So Afridi needs to have a Plan B. I’m fine with one-off yorkers, but not two or three in a row, because if he misses even one, it goes for a boundary with only two fielders outside the circle. Mixing it up with length balls is better.”

He emphasised that while Afridi’s attacking intent is clear, varying his approach will give him a better chance of success against India’s top order.

Wasim Akram also raised concerns over Pakistan’s struggles against left-arm wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who proved decisive in the previous encounter between the arch-rivals.

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“It’s just the way he (Kuldeep) bowls. They can’t read him,” Akram said.

“In the pre-show, I was talking to Sunny bhai (Sunil Gavaskar), who said, ‘Unless you can read him from the hand, you won’t understand that type of bowling.’ When Pakistan’s batters keep sweeping against Kuldeep every second ball, it shows they are not reading him.”

Pakistan will be looking to bounce back after their seven-wicket defeat to India at the same venue last week, where Shaheen Afridi managed a useful cameo with the bat but went wicketless, conceding 23 runs in just two overs.

READ: Gavaskar slams Pakistan for skipping press conference ahead of India clash

DUBAI: Former World Cup winner Sunil Gavaskar has criticised Pakistan team management’s decision to cancel their scheduled pre-match press conference on the eve of their high-voltage Super Four clash against India in the ACC Asia Cup 2025.

Pakistan were due to address the media at 6 pm local time on Saturday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, but the briefing was called off without explanation.

Speaking to the media, Gavaskar expressed concern over Pakistan’s approach to handling press obligations during major tournaments.

He stressed that such interactions are vital to maintain transparency and avoid unnecessary speculation.

“I don’t know what the thinking behind that is, but as far as I know, press conferences are mandatory,” Gavaskar said.

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“If teams don’t hold them, I’m not sure what the penalties are, if any, but in today’s world, it’s important for the media to be involved and kept informed.”

The former India opener further underlined the need for direct communication, adding that openness between teams and the press helps build trust among fans.

“It’s always better for teams to convey their stance directly instead of relying on ‘sources’ or speculation. Perhaps Pakistan felt they had nothing new to share, which, frankly, isn’t surprising,” he added.

Sunil Gavaskar also touched upon the role of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), pointing out that decisions are taken collectively with input from all member nations.

“Yes, Mohsin Naqvi is the ACC president, but the organisation involves representatives from India, Sri Lanka, and other member countries,” Gavaskar remarked.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

“There’s a governing committee that looks after tournaments like this, and they’ll want to understand what’s going on.”

He even suggested that stricter measures could be introduced to ensure compliance.

“If the rulebook makes press conferences mandatory, then perhaps a point deduction from the table could be an option going forward,” he said.

Notably, this was the second time Pakistan have skipped a press conference in the ongoing Asia Cup.

Earlier, they also declined to appear before the media ahead of their must-win group match against the UAE, at the height of the PCB’s row with match referee Andy Pycroft following the handshake controversy in the group-stage clash against India.

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