Category: Top Picks

Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt has picked England all-rounder Ben Stokes over legendary Imran Khan in his all-time ODI XI.

Appearing on a sports podcast, Butt was asked to pick an all-time ODI XI, with no more than two players from one country.

The southpaw picked star players from India, West Indies, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and England. He chose Ben Stokes as captain while Proteas batting maestro AB de Villiers was slotted in as an opener and wicket-keeper.

The middle order featured Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Kumar Sangakara, and Virat Kohli.

Butt’s bowling attack combined spin and pace: Abdul Qadir and Muttiah Muralitharan provided the spin options, while Wasim Akram led the fast bowling unit alongside Jasprit Bumrah and Jacques Kallis, with Stokes offering an additional seam option.

However, the most notable omission was Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup-winning captain Imran Khan.

Explaining his decision, Salman Butt pointed to the balance of the side.

“Two spinners, three genuine fast bowlers — and because Jacques Kallis also bowled at 140 km/h, plus there’s Ben Stokes as well,” he said.

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When asked about leaving Imran Khan out, Butt praised his status, alongside highlighting the team’s needs and modern-day cricket.

“Yes, he didn’t fit into this team. As an all-rounder, Ben Stokes was my choice,” he explained.

“He couldn’t find a place, what can we do? I’m not denying Imran Khan’s greatness—he’s a far superior cricketer, and Pakistan has probably produced very few players better than him. But if you look at the context and also consider today’s cricket, it’s not the same as the era in which he excelled,” he explained.

“If you bring any of those players into modern cricket, even one of them, you have to consider everything — fitness levels, their performances over time, their match-winning ability, their leadership, their multiple roles. That’s how I looked at it when I made my ODI XI,” Butt added.

He further clarified his picks, explaining that he had picked players with modern-day cricket parameters in mind.

“Yes, I was asked for an ODI XI, but I tried to consider players across generations. From India, I picked Bumrah and Virat Kohli. Now, of course, people will ask — where is Tendulkar? But the parameters were already given. You have to see how players would also fit into modern cricket,” he concluded.

Salman Butt All-Time ODI XI:

Brian Lara, Kumar Sangakkara, Viv Richards, Virat Kohli, Ben Stokes (C), AB de Villiers (WK), Jacques Kallis, Abdul Qadir, Muttiah Muralitharan, Wasim Akram, Jasprit Bumrah

READ: Suryakumar Yadav reveals reason behind no handshake in India-Pakistan clash

DUBAI: Pakistan white-ball head coach Mike Hesson opened up on skipper Salman Ali Agha not participating in the post-match interview after the clash against India here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Set a partly 128-run target, India comfortably knocked the winning runs on the loss of three wickets in 15.5 overs.

India started off with a flyer as Abhishek Sharma made 31 off just 13 balls, striking two sixes and four boundaries. The audacious knock from the left-hander set the tone for the coming batters to milk Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Despite Saim Ayub dismissing Shubman Gill (10) and Sharma inside the powerplay, untroubled India cruised through the chase courtesy of a 56-run stand between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma.

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Suryakumar remained unbeaten, scoring 47* off 37 balls, an innings laced with five boundaries and a six.

Interestingly, the drama unfolded when both teams avoided a customary handshake at the end of the match.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands during the toss.

Addressing the media in the post-match press conference, Hesson expressed disappointment over the Indian players’ refusal to shake hands.

“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game. We obviously were disappointed that you know our opposition didn’t do that, and we sort of went over there to shake hands, and they’d already gone into the changing room”, he told reporters.

“So that was a disappointing way for the match to finish match,” he added.

Regarding Salman Ali Agha’s post-match interview, he revealed that it was the consequence of India’s refusal to shake hands.

“I think it’s just a flow-on effect of the fact that you know we were obviously keen to engage and shake hands at the end of the match, that didn’t happen, and you know that was pretty much the end of it,” he concluded.

READ: Suryakumar Yadav reveals reason behind no-handshake in India-Pakistan clash

DUBAI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav opened on the handshake saga in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 clash against Pakistan here on Sunday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Pakistan and India players avoided a customary handshake following the conclusion of the match.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands during the toss.

After winning the toss, Salman Ali Agha chose to bat first and made his way past India’s captain to engage in a pre-match discussion with Ravi Shastri. However, both players avoided a handshake.

Now, Suryakumar has shed light on the decision to avoid the ritual of post-match.

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“See, I think we had perfect alignment with our government and the BCCI. We were together on this, and once we came here, we took a call. I feel we came here just to play the game. That’s it, and I think we gave the proper reply,” he revealed.

For context, this was India-Pakistan’s first encounter after the May 2025 escalation, which led both countries to the verge of full-fledged war.

Nonetheless, Set a partly 128-run target, India comfortably knocked the winning runs on the loss of three wickets in 15.5 overs.

India started off with a flyer as Abhishek Sharma made 31 off just 13 balls, striking two sixes and four boundaries. The audacious knock from the left-hander set the tone for the coming batters to milk Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Despite Saim Ayub getting Shubman Gill (`10) and Sharma inside the powerplay, India cruised in the chase untroubled, courtesy of a 56-run stand between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma.

The duo batted with ease and took India near the total. Verma played a composed knock of 31 runs from 31 balls with the help of two fours and a six.

Suryakumar, on the other hand, remained unbeaten and finished the match with a towering six. He made 47* off 37 balls, an innings laced with five boundaries and a six.

For Pakistan, Saim Ayub remained the only silver lining in the bowling, picking up three wickets in his four overs.

READ: WATCH: Pakistan, India skip customary handshake after Asia Cup 2025 clash

DUBAI: Pakistan and India players avoided a customary handshake following the conclusion of the match here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Earlier, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha and India skipper Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands during the toss.

After winning the toss, Salman Ali Agha chose to bat first and made his way past India’s captain to engage in a pre-match discussion with Ravi Shastri, with Suryakumar Yadav following suit.

With India comprehensively winning the match against Pakistan by seven wickets, there were no handshakes between the players.

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For context, this was India-Pakistan’s first encounter after the May 2025 escalation, which led both countries to the verge of full-fledged war.

Nonetheless, Set a partly 128-run target, India comfortably knocked the winning runs on the loss of three wickets in 15.5 overs.

India started off with a flyer as Abhishek Sharma made 31 off just 13 balls, striking two sixes and four boundaries. The audacious knock from the left-hander set the tone for the coming batters to milk Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Despite Saim Ayub getting Shubman Gill (`10) and Sharma inside the powerplay, India cruised in the chase untroubled, courtesy of a 56-run stand between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma.

The duo batted with ease and took India near the total. Verma played a composed knock of 31 runs from 31 balls with the help of two fours and a six.

Suryakumar, on the other hand, remained unbeaten and finished the match with a towering six. He made 47* off 37 balls, an innings laced with five boundaries and a six.

For Pakistan, Saim Ayub remained the only silver lining in the bowling, picking up three wickets in his four overs.

READ: WATCH: Sahibzada Farhan becomes first Pakistani to hit Jasprit Bumrah for six

DUBAI: Opener Sahibzada Farhan achieved a major feat as he became the first-ever Pakistan batter to hit India’s speedster Jasprit Bumrah for a six in international cricket.

Farhan tonked Bumrah for two sixes during the Pak vs Ind clash at the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025.

The right-hander who top-scored for Pakistan first hit the pacer on the third ball of the third over. He then smoked another in the fifth over.

Jasprit Bumrah made his international debut against Pakistan during the first ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup in 2016. Since then, he has participated in five T20 Internationals and eight One Day Internationals against the Pakistani team.

In total, Bumrah has faced Pakistan 13 times in international matches, claiming 13 wickets while allowing 324 runs across all formats.

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His standout performance against Pakistan took place during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, where he took three wickets for just 14 runs at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.

Playing XIs

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

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf,  Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed

READ: Ravichandran Ashwin names Pakistan’s potential game-changer against India

DUBAI: Kuldeep Yadav’s three-wicket haul, backed by a dominant batting display powered India to a comprehensive win over Pakistan in the sixth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Set a partly 128-run target, India comfortably knocked the winning runs on the loss of three wickets in 15.5 overs.

India started off with a flyer as Abhishek Sharma made 31 off just 13 balls, striking two sixes and four boundaries. The audacious knock from the left-hander set the tone for the coming batters to milk Pakistan’s bowling attack.

Despite Saim Ayub getting Shubman Gill (`10) and Sharma inside the powerplay, India cruised in the chase untroubled, courtesy of a 56-run stand between Suryakumar Yadav and Tilak Verma.

The duo batted with ease and took India near the total. Verma played a composed a knock of 31 runs from 31 balls with the help of two fours and a six.

Suryakumar, on the other hand, remained unbeaten and finished the match with a towering six. He made 47* off 37 balls, an innings laced with five boundaries and a six.

For Pakistan, Saim Ayub remained the only silver lining in the bowling, picking up three wickets in his four overs.

Earlier, Kuldeep Yadav spun a web around Pakistan’s batting lineup before Shaheen Afridi’s brisk cameo lifted them to a fighting total against India.

Opting to bat first, Pakistan mustered 127-9 in their allocated 20 overs.

Pakistan failed to capitalize on the decision to bat first as they lost their opening wickets in a heap.

Saim Ayub departed for a golden duck only on the second ball of the match, whereas Mohammad Haris followed him in the second over after scoring three runs.

As a result, Pakistan were in a precarious position of 6-2 in the first two overs.

Following the early wicket, Fakhar Zaman arrived at the crease and tried to stabilize Pakistan’s innings alongside Sahibzada Farhan. The duo batted cautiously and stitched a 39-run stand.

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Nonetheless, the stand culminated with Fakhar’s wicket, who was trying to break shackles after a lean powerplay. He made 17 off 15 balls with the help of three fours.

The wicket sparked a collapse that Pakistan could not recover from as India struck at regular intervals until Shaheen Afridi’s brisk cameo later in the innings.

Sahibzada Farhan remained the top scorer for Pakistan, scoring 40 off 44 balls with the help of three sixes and a four, while Shaheen struck an unbeaten 33 off 16 balls, laced with four sixes.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav remained the pick of the bowlers, taking a three-wicket haul. Axar Patel and Jasprit Bumrah were equally good with their two scalps apiece.

For context, this is the first Pak vs Ind encounter since the May escalation between both countries.

Playing XI’s PAK vs IND Game

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

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf,  Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed

READ: Fakhar Zaman reveals plan to tackle Jasprit Bumrah in Asia Cup 2025 clash

DUBAI: Pakistan opening batter Fakhar Zaman opened up on his battle with India ace bowler Jasprit Bumrah ahead of the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash.

Pakistan will square off against arch-rivals India for the first time since the escalation between both nations in May 2025.

Speaking ahead of the match, Fakhar praised Bumrah as an outstanding bowler, emphasizing conditions and an attacking mindset.

“He is definitely a world-class bowler, but in cricket, the situation matters—how the pitch is playing matters.

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So if the wicket is good and the conditions are in your favor, then no matter which bowler comes at you, you attack him. That will be our plan too,” Fakhar said in a video released by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) on their social media handles.

“No matter how big a bowler someone is, or how many skills they have, if you attack them, they will definitely go on the back foot. Our plan will remain the same, and we will play according to the situation,” he stated.

For the unversed, Fakhar Zaman scored his match-winning century against India in the 2017 Champions Trophy final. Notably, it was Jasprit Bumrah’s no-ball that gave the left-hander a reprieve when he was batting on three runs.

Later on, Zaman went on to score a 114 off  106 balls, laced with three sixes and 12 fours.

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: Ravichandran Ashwin names Pakistan’s potential game-changer against India

DUBAI: Pakistan have won the toss and opted to bat first against India in the sixth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Playing XIs

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

Pakistan XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (capt), Hasan Nawaz, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf,  Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD: 

Both teams have faced each other 13 times in the T20I format. India have won 10 matches out 13 encounters, whereas Pakistan have only managed to win three games.

For context, Pakistan and India are set to face each other for the first time since the escalated tensions in May.

India and Pakistan have both started their Asia Cup 2025 in a dominant way, with the former beating UAE by a hefty margin of nine wickets, whereas the latter crushed Oman by 93 runs to set up an intriguing showdown between them.

READ: Pakistan players to watch out in Asia Cup 2025 clash against India

Former off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin highlighted several Pakistan players who could change the course of the match against India, particularly mentioning Sufiyan Muqeem as a potential hero in the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash.

Sharing his views regarding the blockbuster clash on his  YouTube channel, Ashwin expressed his excitement to watch Pakistan batters Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub.

“From Pakistan’s side, the two players I’m most excited to watch are Mohammad Haris and Saim Ayub. I want to see how they handle the Indian bowling attack. If both of them bat well, then Pakistan will have a decent chance,” Ashwin said.

The 38-year-old heaped praise on left-arm wrist spinner Sufiyan Muqeem as a game-changer for Pakistan, highlighting his potential.

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“As for an hero from Pakistan, it could be Sufiyan Muqeem. He didn’t bowl that well in the last game and he’s a bit inconsistent, which makes things tricky in T20 cricket. But I’m curious to see how Pakistan grooms him and how he approaches the game, so I’ll be watching closely to see how he performs,” he said.

For context, Pakistan and India are set to face each other for the first time since the escalated tensions in May.

India and Pakistan have both started their Asia Cup 2025 in a dominant way, with the former beating UAE by a hefty margin of nine wickets, whereas the latter crushed Oman by 93 runs to set up an intriguing showdown between them.

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 players to watch out in Asia Cup 2025 clash against India

DUBAI: Former West Indies superstar Chris Gayle has joined the chorus of voices building up to the blockbuster Asia Cup 2025 clash between Pakistan and India at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.

Taking to his official X (formerly Twitter) account, Gayle shared his excitement about the encounter, calling it a new chapter in one of cricket’s greatest rivalries.

“It’s the #IndvsPak game again & it always brings excitement for fans across the globe,” Chris Gayle wrote.

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“Both teams have moved on from their superstars, and it’s the new era for the rivalry. The atmosphere will be great & hope for a cracker of a game. #AsiaCup2025.”

The former T20 trailblazer, who has played against both nations at the highest level, underlined how the rivalry continues to thrive despite the transition away from iconic names like Virat Kohli, Babar Azam, Rohit Sharma, and Mohammad Rizwan.

The highly anticipated showdown will be the first T20I meeting between the two sides since India edged out Pakistan in a tense, low-scoring thriller during the World Cup 2024 in New York.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

Both teams come into the contest in strong form. India dismantled the UAE in their opening match, bowling them out for just 57 and chasing the target in 4.3 overs, while Pakistan brushed aside Oman with a 93-run win on Friday.

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: Key update on Pakistan’s Playing XI ahead of India clash