With a 41-run win over the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Dubai, Pakistan locked their berth in the Super Four phase of the Asia Cup. opening the way for a much-awaited rematch against India, their opponents. Off-field conflicts originating from Pakistan’s previous meeting with India caused the game to start an hour later than scheduled.
Pakistan nonetheless won a critical victory, moving up in the competition and guaranteeing their historic rivalry runs on Sunday. Pakistan got off to a difficult start once put into bat and soon found themselves at 9-2. UAE bowler Junaid Siddique shone with the ball, capturing 4 wickets for only 18 runs, including the dismissals of the two opening batsmen. Fakhar Zaman stabilized Pakistan’s innings with a solid 50 runs off 36 balls, but once he was out, the momentum slowed Pakistan to 93-6.
Shaheen Afridi stepped up to deliver a late surge, scoring a rapid 29 runs off only 14 balls; three amazing Sixes helped Pakistan achieve a defendable total of 146-9. Afridi struck early once again when it was their turn to bowl, grabbing a wicket during the powerplay as the UAE tumbled to 37-3. Hope for the UAE came in the form of a strong partnership of 48 runs between Rahul Chopra (35) and Dhruv Parashar, but once that alliance was broken, their innings failed. Pakistani bowlers grabbed hold and finally bowled out the UAE for just 105 runs in 17.4 overs.
Beyond the game itself, the conflicts resulting from the earlier India-Pakistan battle still loomed large. Reports emerged suggesting Indian players refused to shake hands following the game, but only with umpires. Pakistan also maintained that match referee Andy Pycroft had cautioned their captain, Salman Agha, against joining the traditional pre-match handshake with India’s captain. Pakistan officially asked that Pycroft be removed from the competition following this debate. Though he stayed in place for the match against the UAE, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) later admitted that he had apologised to the team’s management.
