Pakistan defeated Bangladesh by 11 runs in a low-scoring thriller on Thursday, September 25, to go to the finals of the 2025 Asia Cup. Fans came to the Dubai International Cricket Stadium to watch a virtual semi-final match in the Super Fours. They will not be disappointed, as they witnessed two teams fighting tooth and nail for a berth in the finals.
Jaker Ali, the stand-in captain, won the toss and chose to field first. Pakistan had a dismal start, losing Sahibzada Farhan and Saim Ayub in the opening few overs. The Men in Green could only score 27 runs during the powerplay.
Salman Ali Agha and Fakhar Zaman attempted to restart the ship, but the latter was fired shortly after the powerplay. Hussain Talat and Agha both fell quickly, leaving Pakistan at 49/5 after 11 overs. Shaheen Afridi was pushed up the order to No. 7, and he scored 19 off 13 balls while being dropped twice.
Mohammad Nawaz teamed up with Mohammad Haris, and the two compiled a critical 38-run stand off 24 balls to give Pakistan’s innings a much-needed boost. In the end, Pakistan scored 135/8 in 20 overs.
Despite the sluggish surface, Bangladesh would have been optimistic about chasing it down. However, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf bowled excellently with the new ball, taking three wickets during the powerplay.
Wickets fell at regular intervals as Pakistan strangled Bangladesh in the middle overs, with Saim Ayub and Mohammad Nawaz delivering outstanding spells. Haris Rauf also bowled with determination as Bangladesh lost nine wickets for 101 runs in 17.4 overs. Rishad Hossain hit a couple of boundaries near the end of the innings, but he was left with too much work to do. Bangladesh ended at 124/9, knocking them out of the competition.
Key moments from PAK vs BAN, Super Four, Match 17 of Asia Cup 2025:
1. Shaheen Afridi steps up under pressure with all-round exploits
Shaheen was promoted ahead of Mohammad Nawaz, and he batted with a fearless approach. His 19-run knock off just 13 balls comprised two sixes. This knock injected some momentum into the Pakistan innings. With the ball, Shaheen bagged two important wickets with the new ball and returned at the backend to dismiss the dangerous Shamim Hossain with a back-of-the-hand slower delivery. The left-arm seamer finished with excellent figures of 3/17 in four overs.
These two sixes by Shaheen Afridi are worth more than Salman Agha’s T20 career. pic.twitter.com/5EgVIDlKBK
— Azlan (@azlanxz) September 25, 2025
FIRST OVER WICKET SHAHEEN SHAH AFRIDI pic.twitter.com/mXYLkEk6xW
— zayn (@ZaynMahmood5) September 25, 2025
2. Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Nawaz stitch crucial partnership
Mohammad Haris and Mohammad Nawaz’s important 38-run stand off 24 balls helped Pakistan recover from a precarious score of 71/6. The latter also played a key role with the ball, picking up the wicket of Mahedi Hasan and giving away just 14 runs in three overs.
📸:💚🇵🇰
Can you imagine, Mohammad Nawaz did not bowl in last 2 games? 🥴#PAKvBAN | #AsiaCup2025live pic.twitter.com/btV6HLyzJq— 𝐅𝐚𝐧❥𝐁𝐚𝐛𝐚𝐫 𝐀𝐳𝐚𝐦 𝐁𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐬🏏 (@Bobi_1A) September 25, 2025
3. Taskin Ahmed and Rishad Hossain’s brilliant spells go in vain
Taskin Ahmed and Rishad Hossain were magnificent with the ball for Bangladesh. The right-arm seamer finished with figures of 3/28 in four overs. He took the wicket of Sahibzada Farhan off the fourth ball of the first innings. Leg-spinner Rishad, meanwhile, bagged 2/18 in four overs. Rishad also kept Bangladesh’s hopes alive in the last over with some clean hitting.
Taskin Ahmed says not again ❌
Mohammad Nawaz was sent back after a quickfire 25.
Watch #PAKvBAN LIVE NOW on the Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.#SonySportsNetwork #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/ppb3bOMbMV
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 25, 2025
Another day, another right prediction from Irfan Pathan ✅ 😎
Watch #PAKvBAN LIVE NOW on the Sony Sports Network TV channels & Sony LIV.@IrfanPathan | #DPWorldAsiaCup2025 pic.twitter.com/Q4J3kuLYRg
— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 25, 2025
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