The Pakistan cricket team won their match against the UAE in the 2025 Asia Cup, securing a spot in the Super 4 round. This victory followed a series of disputes and threats from the team. The Pakistan team faced pressure to play despite earlier threats to boycott the match, due to their disagreement over the match referee, Andy Pycroft. The team had a poor batting performance, but they won the match by 41 runs because of their bowlers.
The match, held on September 17 at Dubai International Stadium, was uncertain due to the situation. The Pakistan team wanted to remove match referee Andy Pycroft after an issue following their match against India. The ICC denied their request, causing the team to threaten a boycott. There was a delay, but eventually, the match began.
Pakistan’s batting troubles continued. Opener Saim Ayub was out in the first over for the third time, and other batsmen struggled. By the 15.1st over, Pakistan had lost six wickets for 93 runs. Fakhar Zaman scored 50 runs, but the top order did not perform well.
Shaheen Shah Afridi scored 29 runs off just 14 balls, helping Pakistan reach a score of 146. Junaid Siddique took 4 wickets for UAE, and Simranjeet took 3.
For UAE, Alishan Sharafu started well but was bowled early. The innings ended with 105 runs scored. Shaheen, Haris Rauf, and Abrar took 2 wickets each for Pakistan. Pakistan, along with India, qualified for the Super 4 stage.