DUBAI: Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf’s impressive three-wicket hauls, backed by clinical spells from spinners, powered Pakistan past Bangladesh to set up a blockbuster final against India in the ACC Men’s Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday.
This will be the first time in the tournament’s history that arch-rivals Pakistan and India will play in the final.
Set 136, Bangladesh crumbled under pressure, managing only 124-9 in their 20 overs.
The game was in mayhem from the start as both teams lost wickets at regular intervals. Bangladesh endured a similar start to Pakistan, losing wickets inside the powerplay.
Shaheen removed Parvez Hossain Emon for a duck on the fifth ball of the first over and sent back Towhid Hridoy for five to set up the tone. The tigers were further pegged back with another wicket in the fifth over, and this time it was dangerous Saif Hassan.
The right-hander, who was in touch against India, fell after scoring 18 from 15 balls. As a result, Bangladesh were reduced to 29-3 in 5.1 overs.
After the fast bowlers, Pakistan’s spinner took control of the match and never allowed Bangladesh batters to gain momentum.
Shamim Hossain remained the sole bright star in Bangladesh’s innings, scoring 30 off 25 with the help of two fours.
However, his wicket in the 17th over dashed the Tigers’ hope to reach the final, with the Men in Green eventually securing a narrow 11-run victory.
For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf shared six wickets between them, whereas Saim Ayub picked up two wickets to set up a thrilling win.
Earlier, Bangladesh tore through Pakistan’s top order with the new ball before their bowlers tightened the screws to restrict them to a modest total of 135 in their 20 overs.
Put into bat first, Pakistan demonstrated a shambolic batting display under the lights at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium (DICS) on Thursday.
Taskin Ahmed, who returned to the playing XI, set the tone early with in-form Sahibzada Farhan’s wicket. The right-hander was caught in the covers after scoring four.
With a charged crowd behind them, Bangladesh sensed a perfect opportunity to put Pakistan on the back foot, and it happened in the form of Saim Ayub’s dismissal only in the second over.
Saim’s horror run with the bat continued as he went for a duck for the fourth time in the continental tournament.
As a result, Pakistan slipped to 5-2 in 1.4 overs with Fakhar Zaman and Salman Ali Agha at the crease.
The pair tried to take control of the game, and they managed to do so with a brief 24-run partnership; however, it was only a matter of time before the Tigers took complete control of the match.
With Pakistan reeling at the end of the powerplay at 29, Fakhar tried to launch and ended up holing out to Tanzim Hasan Shakib.
The wicket sparked a mini-collapse, and wickets fell in heaps, before promoted Shaheen Afridi’s lusty blows and sloppy fielding from Bangladesh gave Pakistan some respite.
Hussain Talat only scored three, and skipper Agha managed 19 from 23 balls, while Shaheen struck two sixes in his vital 19 from 13 balls.
Eventually, Pakistan finished their innings with a below-par total, with Mohammad Haris remaining the top scorer. The right-hander scored 31 from 23 balls with the help of two fours and a six.
For Bangladesh, it was an all-round bowling performance; however, Taskin Ahmed stood out with three wickets in his quota of four overs.
READ: Saim Ayub breaks Shahid Afridi’s record with fourth duck in Asia Cup 2025
