Tag: Asia Cup 2025

DUBAI: India produced a ruthless performance to dismantle the United Arab Emirates (UAE) by nine wickets in the Asia Cup 2025 clash on Wednesday, setting multiple records along the way.

Put into the field by skipper Suryakumar Yadav, India’s bowlers ripped through the UAE batting lineup, dismissing them for just 57 in 13.1 overs, their lowest-ever T20I total.

Their previous worst was 62 against Scotland last year.

The total also went down as the second-lowest in Asia Cup T20 history, behind Hong Kong’s infamous 38 all out against Pakistan in 2022.

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India’s reply was swift and clinical as they chased 58 in just 4.3 overs with 93 balls to spare, the biggest victory margin (by balls remaining) in Asia Cup T20 history.

The previous record also belonged to India, who beat the UAE in the 2016 edition with 59 balls left.

The one-sided affair also placed India second on the all-time T20I list of wins by most balls to spare among full-member nations, behind only England’s 101-ball demolition of Oman in the 2024 T20 World Cup.

Most balls to spare in T20I wins by full-member sides

• 101 balls – England vs Oman, North Sound, 2024
• 93 balls – India vs UAE, Dubai, 2025
• 90 balls – Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, Chattogram, 2014
• 90 balls – Zimbabwe vs Mozambique, Nairobi, 2024

The contest wrapped up in just 106 deliveries across both innings, the fourth-shortest completed T20I involving a full-member nation.

Fewest balls in a completed T20I (full-member matches)

• 93 balls – Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, Chattogram, 2014
• 99 balls – England vs Oman, North Sound, 2024
• 103 balls – Sri Lanka vs Netherlands, Sharjah, 2021
• 106 balls – India vs UAE, Dubai, 2025

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DUBAI: India cruised to a nine-wicket victory over UAE in an emphatic fashion in the second match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

India chased down a mere 58-run target in just 4.3 overs, losing only one wicket in the process. Notably, the victory margin of 94 balls remaining was the largest for the Men in Blue in T20Is.

Abhishek Sharma started the innings with a six and continued on his merry way as India raced towards the target.

Sharma eventually departed after making 30 off  16 balls, striking three sixes and two fours.

On the contrary, Shubman Gill scored 20* off nine and Suryakumar Yadav remained unbeaten on seven from two balls.

Kuldeep Yadav, who took 4 wickets for just seven runs in his 2.1 overs, was named as the player of the match.

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Earlier, left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav bamboozled UAE with a four-wicket haul.

India capitalized on the decision to bowl first as they bundled out UAE for 57 in only 13.1 overs.

UAE openers started positively, particularly Alishan Sharafu, who top-scored with 22 off 17 balls with the aid of three fours and a six. However, once he was removed, India took complete control of the match with spinners bowling from both ends.

India’s bowlers did not allow the UAE batters to free their arms and kept striking at regular intervals.

For India, Kuldeep Yadav was the standout bowler, taking a four-wicket haul, including three wickets in an over. Shivam Dube provided him ample support with three wickets in his two overs.

Playing XIs

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

UAE XI: Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (capt), Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh

DUBAI: India have won the toss and opted to bowl first against UAE in the second match of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 here at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Playing XIs

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

UAE XI: Muhammad Zohaib, Muhammad Waseem (capt), Asif Khan, Alishan Sharafu, Rahul Chopra (wk), Dhruv Parashar, Harshit Kaushik, Haider Ali, Muhammad Rohid, Junaid Siddique, Simranjeet Singh

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD: 

India and UAE have faced each other only once in the T20I format, with the former winning the match comprehensively by a hefty margin back in 2016

Matches 1, India 1, UAE 0

The continental tournament is played across two venues, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, in the UAE from September 9 to 28.

READ: Saim Ayub becomes Pakistan’s highest-ranked T20I all-rounder in ICC rankings

Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has thrown his support behind star batter Babar Azam, insisting that he still has a role to play in T20I cricket despite being left out of the Asia Cup 2025 squad.

Babar, currently the second-highest run-scorer in T20I history, has been sidelined from the format since the tour of South Africa in December last year.

His exclusion from the Asia Cup squad comes as Pakistan look to invest in young players ahead of next year’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Speaking to an Indian broadcaster, Akram highlighted Babar’s value in tricky run-chases, particularly on challenging pitches.

“I want Babar to be in T20Is. Just think about it, against stronger sides, if you’re chasing 150 or 160 on a slightly dodgy wicket, it’ll be difficult without a batter like him,” Akram said.

However, he also acknowledged that Babar and Mohammad Rizwan should have evolved their game according to the needs of modern-day cricket.

“You have to adjust your game, and that’s where he could be useful. But I also think this team is doing fine,” he stated further.

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“Babar and Rizwan were given four to five years as openers. They did well but not consistently enough, and that’s why the selectors have turned to new players.”

The legendary pacer also expressed confidence in Pakistan’s new-look T20I side led by Salman Ali Agha, praising their fearless approach.

“Babar is not there, Rizwan is not there. The idea was to move forward with youngsters,” he added.

“They’ve done well, maybe not consistently, but at least they play with the right mindset. They don’t fear losing, and when you fear losing, you crumble under pressure.”

Wasim Akram reserved special praise for captain Salman Ali Agha, calling him a selfless leader.

“Salman is a good captain; he leads from the front. He even sacrifices his batting position at No. 4 or 5, depending on the situation. I just hope they don’t make too many changes to this team. If they stick together, they can regularly beat top sides,” he concluded.

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ABU DHABI: All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai etched his name into Afghanistan’s history books by slamming the fastest half-century in the Asia Cup 2025 opener against Hong Kong here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai etched his name into Afghanistan’s history books by smashing the fastest half-century in the Asia Cup 2025 opener against Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Afghanistan chalked up 188 for the loss of six wickets in their 20 overs, courtesy of some fine batting from Azmatullah Omarzai and Sediqullah Atal.

Omarzai, who had a lean run before heading into the Asia Cup 2025, lit up the stadium with a powerful knock.

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The right-handed batter came in at a time just when Afghanistan were reeling at 95-4 in 12.4 overs.

He paired up with Atal for a brisk partnership that not only took his team out of trouble but also took them to a strong total. Azmatullah Omarzai made 53 off 21 balls, striking five sixes and two fours.

The 25-year-old recorded the feat of fastest fifty for Afghanistan in the 19th over with three sixes and a four of Ayush Shukla.

Earlier, Mohammad Nabi held the record for the fastest half-century. The veteran batter had scored fifty off 21 balls against Ireland at Greater Noida in 2017.

Fastest T20I fifty by Afghanistan batters:

Azmatullah Omarzai* 20 balls vs Hong Kong 2025
Mohammad Nabi 21 balls vs Ireland 2017
Hazratullah Zazai 22 balls vs Ireland  2018
Najibullah Zadran 22  balls vs Zimbabwe  2019

At the time of filing this story, Afghanistan were in a dominant position as Hong Kong were reeling with 22-4 in only 4.3 overs.

READ: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 likely dates revealed

ABU DHABI: Clinical Afghanistan thrashed Hong Kong by a massive margin of 94 runs in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Set 189, Hong Kong faltered in the chase and could only manage to score 94-9 in 20 overs.

Afghanistan made early inroads as Hong Kong demonstrated a shambolic batting display, losing four inside five overs.

Anshy Rath(0) was caught behind on the second ball of the opening over– a replay showing a huge gap between ball and bat.

Zeeshan Ali was the second to be dismissed in the second over for just five runs. Hong Kong went into dire straits with back-to-back run outs of Nizakat Khan and Kalhan Challu.

As a result, Hong Kong were reduced to 22-4 in 4.3 overs.

Afghanistan continued to strike at regular intervals, with no batter contributing significantly except Babar Hayat.

Hayat tried to stabilize innings with brief stands; however, despite top-scoring with 39 off 43, Hong Kong’s innings folded for a mere total. Interestingly, Hayat’s knock was laced with three sixes.

For Afghanistan, it was an all-round bowling effort with every bowler chipping in with wickets. However, Gulbadin Naib and Fazalhaq Farooqi stood out with two scalps each.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, Afghanistan racked up 188 for 6  in their allocated 20 overs.

Afghanistan got off to a shaky start as they lost their opening two wickets inside four overs. Rahmanullah Gurbaz was the first to go after making eight off five balls, whereas Ibrahim Zadran could only manage to score one.

As a result, Afghanistan were 26-2 in 3.2 overs.

Following the early hiccup, experienced Mohammad Nabi arrived at the crease and forged a composed 51-run stand with Sediqullah Atal.

Consequently, Afghanistan reached 77 at the halfway mark of the innings. Nabi departed after scoring 33 off 26 balls with the help of three fours and a six.

Yet, Hong Kong struck again and kept Afghanistan’s batters in check until Azmatullah Omarzai and Sediqullah Atal’s brisk 85-run partnership off just 35 balls.

The pair took advantage of the sloppy Hong Kong fielding and counterattacked with brisk batting.

Azmatullah perished after launching a brutal assault on Ayush Shukla, smashing three sixes and fours in the 19th over. He made 53 off 21 balls, an innings laced with five maximums and two fours.

On the contrary, Sediqullah remained unbeaten, scoring 73 off 52 balls peppered with half a dozen fours and three sixes.

For Hong Kong, Kinchit Shah and Ayush Shukla picked up two wickets.

PLAYING XIs:

Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Hong Kong XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (capt), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan

READ: ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 likely dates revealed

ABU DHABI: Afghanistan have won the toss and opted to bat first against Hong Kong in the opening match of the Asia Cup 2025 here at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

PLAYING XIs:

Afghanistan XI: Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wk), Sediqullah Atal, Ibrahim Zadran, Gulbadin Naib, Karim Janat, Azmatullah Omarzai, Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan (capt), Noor Ahmad, AM Ghazanfar, Fazalhaq Farooqi

Hong Kong XI: Zeeshan Ali (wk), Babar Hayat, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Challu, Nizakat Khan, Aizaz Khan, Kinchit Shah, Yasim Murtaza (capt), Ayush Shukla, Ateeq Iqbal, Ehsan Khan

HEAD TO HEAD RECORD: 

Afghanistan and Hong Kong have faced each other five times in the T20I format, with the former having a narrow margin with three wins to its name.

Matches 9, Hong Kong 2, Afghanistan 3

The continental tournament will be played across two venues, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, in the UAE from September 9 to 28.

Abu Dhabi will stage eight matches, including one Super Four clash on September 23, while Dubai will host the majority of the games, including both high-voltage Pakistan-India clashes if the two sides progress beyond the group stage.

All matches will begin at 6 PM Gulf Standard Time, barring the September 15 fixture between the UAE and Oman.

READ: Trophy unveiled for ACC men’s Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai

Former Australian speedster Brett Lee has included Pakistan wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan and pacer Haris Rauf in his all-time Asian T20I team.

The continental tournament is currently underway, with the opening match between Afghanistan and Hong Kong at the Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

During an interview with Fox Sports, Lee picked 12 players from Asia, including two Pakistani players.

Lee’s started with Indian stalwarts Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma as openers, who retired from the format last year after leading Men in Blue to the 2024 World Cup triumph.

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Rohit (4231 runs) is the highest run-scorer in the shorter format, only ahead of Pakistan’s ace batter Babar Azam, who has 4223 runs to his name.

The 48-year-old also picked Mohammad Rizwan, who is the seventh-highest run scorer in T20Is. However, the right-hander is not included in Pakistan’s squad for the continental tournament.

“I think he [Rizwan] should definitely get an opportunity to be in that all-time T20I team because of what he’s achieved. Now, the conjecture is over here that he’s not going to play in this series, which is surprising to me, ” he said about Mohammad Rizwan.

Along with Rizwan, Haris Rauf was also included in Lee’s All-time Asia XI due to his sheer pace and wicket-taking ability.

“Haris Rauf has got the pace and balls at the death,” he said.

Interestingly, Brett Lee included Babar Hayat from Hong Kong, Amjad Javed from UAE, and Mohammad Naveed in a lineup featuring star players from Asia.

The inclusion of Babar Hayat is understandable due to his being the third-highest scorer in Asia Cup T20I history with 235 runs.

Brett Lee All-time Asian T20I Team

Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Hayat, MS Dhoni, Hardik Pandya, Wanindu Hasaranga, Rashid Khan, Amjad Javed, Mohammad Naveed, Haris Rauf, and Jasprit Bumrah.

READ: Pakistan captain gives bold statement ahead of India clash

DUBAI: The dazzling trophy for the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, which is set to commence later today, was unveiled here on Tuesday.

The ACC President, Mohsin Naqvi, unveiled the trophy alongside the captains of the participating teams.

The ceremony featured Salman Ali Agha from Pakistan, Suryakumar Yadav from India, Litton Das from Bangladesh, Rashid Khan from Afghanistan, Charith Asalanka from Sri Lanka, Jatinder Singh from Oman, Muhammad Waseem from the UAE, and Yasim Murtaza from Hong Kong.

🎥Trophy unveiling moments!

ACC President Mohsin Naqvi unveils the Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 Trophy 🏆 with the captains of all participating teams 🏏 pic.twitter.com/qABMqL9cAq

— Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) September 9, 2025

The continental tournament is set to take place across two venues, Dubai International Cricket Stadium and Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium, from September 9 to 28.

Abu Dhabi will stage eight matches, including one Super Four clash on September 23, while Dubai will host the majority of the games, including both high-voltage Pakistan-India clashes if the two sides progress beyond the group stage.

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The curtain raiser of the Asia Cup 2025 will be played between Hong Kong and Afghanistan.

The eight teams are divided into two groups, with Group A featuring arch-rivals Pakistan and India alongside Oman and the UAE. Group B includes Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Hong Kong.

Schedule, match timings of ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025

• Tuesday, 9 September – Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Wednesday, 10 September – India vs United Arab Emirates, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Thursday, 11 September – Bangladesh vs Hong Kong, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Friday, 12 September – Pakistan vs Oman, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Saturday, 13 September – Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Sunday, 14 September – India vs Pakistan, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Monday, 15 September – UAE vs Oman, Abu Dhabi – 4:00pm
• Monday, 15 September – Sri Lanka vs Hong Kong, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Tuesday, 16 September – Bangladesh vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Wednesday, 17 September – Pakistan vs UAE, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Thursday, 18 September – Sri Lanka vs Afghanistan, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Friday, 19 September – India vs Oman, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm

Super Four Stage:

• Saturday, 20 September – B1 vs B2, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Sunday, 21 September – A1 vs A2, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Tuesday, 23 September – A2 vs B1, Abu Dhabi – 6:30pm
• Wednesday, 24 September – A1 vs B2, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Thursday, 25 September – A2 vs B2, Dubai – 6:30pm
• Friday, 26 September – A1 vs B1, Dubai – 6:30pm

Sunday, 28 September – Final, Dubai – 6:30pm

READ: Suryakumar Yadav dismisses favorites tag ahead of Asia Cup 2025

DUBAI: India captain Suryakumar Yadav played down talk of his side being favorites at the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025, stressing that in the T20I format no team enjoys a clear edge.

“I don’t know who said India are the favorites,” SKY remarked with a smile during the captains’ press conference on Tuesday.

“In T20 cricket, the game can change in just one or two overs. Every team here has the ability to win, and we have to play well to stay in the hunt.”

India will enter the tournament having not played as a complete unit since the England series in January and February; however, their skipper dismissed any concerns.

“That’s not a big problem. Players have been active in leagues and other international cricket,” he said.

“As long as we are winning, it means we are on the right track. So far, everything has been good, and we are looking forward to a strong campaign.”

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The 34-year-old also highlighted the advantage of flexibility in his squad.

“If batters can bowl, it helps the team. More bowling options make life easier for the captain,” he added.

While India downplayed the favorites tag, the UAE and Oman expressed excitement at the prospect of competing with Asia’s giants.

UAE captain Muhammad Waseem credited his experience of playing alongside global stars in ILT20.

“It’s been a big learning curve for me. Playing with top players has helped a lot, and we’ve been preparing hard for the past month for this tournament,” Waseem said.

For Oman, this year’s Asia Cup is nothing short of historic.

“This is a proud moment for us. We are playing the Asia Cup for the first time, though we’ve already featured in three World Cups,” the Oman captain Jatinder Singh said.

READ: Pakistan captain gives bold statement ahead of India clash