Tag: Asia Cup 2025

Former captain Rashid Latif has strongly criticised Team India after they refused to shake hands with Pakistan players after the Asia Cup 2025 clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, calling the act “unsportsmanlike.”

Chasing 128, India sealed the contest in the 16th over as skipper Suryakumar Yadav cleared the ropes for the winning runs.

Instead of the customary post-match handshake, Yadav and Shivam Dube exchanged fist bumps and walked straight to the dressing room, leaving Pakistan players waiting.

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Reacting to the gesture, Latif took to X (formerly Twitter) and lashed out at the Indian team.

“Yes, you are India cricket, yes, you are the best team in the world… but not to shake hands at the end of the game shows your real colours! Pakistan players were waiting, but Indian players went straight into the dressing room! Where is ICC?” Latif wrote.

The incident also drew an official response from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a formal protest, terming India’s behaviour “inappropriate.”

“Indian players’ refusal to shake hands is against sportsmanship,” Cheema said in a PCB statement.

Catch Asia Cup 2025 news updates here!

Cheema further questioned match referee Andy Pycroft’s call to prevent captains from shaking hands at the toss, arguing it went against the spirit of cricket.

In protest, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha opted to skip the post-match presentation ceremony, where skippers traditionally reflect on the game.

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DUBAI: Asian Cricket Council (ACC) President and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi voiced his disappointment after Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

In the high-octane Asia Cup clash at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, India, chasing 128, wrapped up the contest in the 16th over with captain Suryakumar Yadav clearing the ropes for the winning runs.

Yadav and Shivam Dube exchanged fist bumps before heading straight to the dressing room, bypassing the customary handshake with Pakistan players..

After the match, Mohsin Naqvi took to X (formerly Twitter) and called out the lack of sportsmanship, stressing that politics should not overshadow the spirit of cricket.

“Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Let’s hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace,” he wrote.

While Pakistan players waited for the traditional gesture, the Indian side avoided any interaction, drawing a stern response from the PCB.

Team manager Naveed Akram Cheema formally lodged a protest over what he termed “inappropriate behaviour.”

“Indian players’ refusal to shake hands is against sportsmanship,” Cheema said in a PCB statement.

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Adding to the controversy, Cheema also questioned match referee Andy Pycroft’s instruction for captains to avoid handshakes at the toss, calling it against cricket’s spirit.

In protest, Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match presentation, breaking away from the usual practice of captains reflecting on the game.

READ: Pakistan team manager protests over India’s ‘unsporting’ behaviour

DUBAI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formally protested against what it termed India’s “inappropriate behaviour” during the ACC Asia Cup 2025 clash, team manager Naveed Akram Cheema confirmed on Sunday.

The fixture, already played under tense circumstances, witnessed unusual scenes right from the toss, where both captains skipped the customary handshake on the instructions of match referee Andy Pycroft, a directive Pakistan deemed contrary to cricket’s spirit of sportsmanship.

Tensions escalated further after India’s victory.

Skipper Suryakumar Yadav, who struck the winning runs, celebrated with teammate Shivam Dube before both walked straight to the dressing room.

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While the Indian players congratulated each other inside the dugout, they refrained from acknowledging or shaking hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

Pakistan’s players, meanwhile, waited for the post-match customary handshake, only to see the Indian side retreat and shut their dressing room doors.

Cheema lodged an official protest, stating: “Indian players’ refusal to shake hands is against sportsmanship.” He also raised questions over Pycroft’s handling of the situation at the toss.

In a symbolic response, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha skipped the post-match presentation ceremony, a traditional segment where skippers from both sides reflect on the contest.

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: India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 fixture here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

IND: 131-3 (15.5 overs)

15.5: That’s it. Suryakumar Yadav finishes the match with a huge six

Sufiyan Muqeem to bowl

IND: 123-3 (15 overs)

Saim to bowl his final over

IND: 110-3 (14 overs)

Nawaz to continue

IND: 100-3 (13 overs)

12.2: Saim Ayub gets Varma with a beauty

Saim returns

IND: 97-2 (12 overs)

Nawaz returns

IND: 93-2 (11 overs)

Abrar  to continue

IND: 88-2 (10 overs)

Sufiyan to continue

IND:  74-2 (9 overs)

Abrar to continue

IND:  71-2 (8 overs) 

Sufiyan comes to bowl

IND:  64-2 (7 overs) 

Abrar to continue

IND:  61-2 ( 6 overs) 

Nawaz comes to bowl

IND:  48-2 (5 overs) 

Abrar comes to bowl

IND:  42-2 (4 overs) 

3.4: Saim finally ends an audacious cameo from Sharma

Abhishek Sharma 31 (13b 4×4 2×6) SR: 238.46

Saim to continue

IND:  33-1 (3 overs) 

Shaheen to continue

IND:  22-1 (2 overs) 

Saim Ayub will share the new ball

IND: 12-1 (1 over) 

Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill to open the batting for Pakistan. Shaheen Afridi takes the new ball

PAKISTAN vs India (2nd INNINGS)

DUBAI: Pakistan set a 128-run target against India in the sixth match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

PAK: 127/9 (20 overs)

Pandya to bowl the last over

PAK: 111/9 (19 overs)

Bumrah to bowl the penultimate over

PAK: 99/8 (18 overs)

17.4: Faheem is trapped in front, and he decides to review it straight away.

PAK: 90/7 (17 overs)

16.1: Farhan departs after playing a measured knock in the circumstances of the game

Sahibzada Farhan  40 (44b 1×4 3×6) SR: 90.9

PAK: 83/6 (16 overs)

Varun Chakravarthy returns

PAK: 78/6 (15 overs)

Kuldeep to continue

PAK: 72/6 (14 overs)

Axar continues

PAK: 65/6 (13 overs)

12.5: Another one for India

Mohammad Nawaz 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

12.4: Hasan Nawaz tries to slog sweep but it’s in the air and out.

Hasan Nawaz 5 (7b 0x4 0x6) SR: 71.42

Kuldeep comes back

PAK: 62/4 (12 overs)

Axar to continue

PAK: 54/4 (11 overs)

Abhishek Sharma to bowl his first over of the night

PAK: 47/4 (10 overs)

9.6: Axar Patel gets Salman

Salman Agha  Patel 3 (12b 0x4 0x6) SR: 25

PAK: 47/3 (9 overs)

Varun returns

PAK: 45/3 (8 overs)

7.4: Fakhar tries to go down the ground, and it’s high in the air. Caught a massive wicket for India

Fakhar Zaman  17 (15b 3×4 0x6) SR: 113.33

Axar Patel into the attack for first time

PAK: 44/2 (7 overs)

Kuldeep Yadav comes to bowl

PAK: 42/2 (6 overs)

Bumrah to continue

PAK: 34/2 (5 overs)

Varun Chakravarthy introduced for the first time into the attack

PAK: 26/2 (4 overs)

Jasprit Bumrah to continue

PAK: 20/2 (3 overs)

Hardik to continue

PAK: 7/2 (2 overs)

1.2: Haris tries to go big, and it’s caught. So, Pakistan two down inside two overs, and it’s Pandya and Bumrah show at the moment.

Mohammad Haris 3 (5b 0x4 0x6) SR: 60

Bumrah will share the new ball from the other end

PAK: 5/1 (1 over)

0.1: Saim tries to drive, and it’s straight into the hands of Jasprit Bumrah.

Saim Ayub 0 (1b 0x4 0x6) SR: 0

Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub to open the batting for Pakistan. Interestingly, Hardik Pandya to bowl the first over

PAKISTAN vs India (1st INNINGS)

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.

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