Pakistan Defeats UAE by 41 Runs, Set for India Rematch

Dubai, UAE — Pakistan secured a place in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup with a 41-run victory over the United Arab Emirates on Wednesday. The match, held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, started an hour late due to pre-match disputes stemming from previous encounters with India.

Batting first, Pakistan posted a total of 146-9 after struggling early in their innings. Fakhar Zaman stood out, scoring 50 runs off 36 balls. Despite losing two quick wickets, Zaman helped stabilize the innings before suffering another collapse that left the team at 93-6. A late surge from Shaheen Afridi, who scored 29 runs off just 14 balls, boosted Pakistan’s final total.

Pakistan’s bowlers then effectively dismantled the UAE lineup, bowling them out for 105 in just 17.4 overs. Shaheen Afridi made his mark with the ball as well, taking 2 wickets for 16 runs, while Abrar Ahmed also contributed with 2 wickets for 13 runs. Junaid Siddique of the UAE impressed with figures of 4 for 18.

Despite early wickets falling, a partnership between Rahul Chopra and Dhruv Parashar briefly kept the UAE competitive. However, once they were dismissed, the UAE’s batting order crumbled, leaving them 41 runs shy of a remarkable upset.

With this victory, Pakistan finishes as the second-best team in Group A, setting up a highly anticipated rematch against India on Sunday. This will be the second encounter between the two teams in the tournament, following a prior contentious match which saw allegations of handshakes being refused.