Dubai, September 18 (HS):

Pakistan booked their place in the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2025 with a commanding 41-run win over the UAE in the 10th match of the tournament. The victory sets up a much-anticipated showdown against arch-rivals India on September 21 at the Dubai International Stadium.

Batting first, Pakistan managed 146/9 in 20 overs. Fakhar Zaman held the innings together with a half-century, while Shaheen Afridi provided late fireworks with an unbeaten 29 off 14 balls. However, much of the batting lineup faltered, with six players failing to reach double figures. For the UAE, Junaid Siddique was outstanding with figures of 4/18, while Simranjeet Singh supported well with 3/26.

In reply, UAE were bundled out for 105. After early setbacks, Rahul Chopra (35) and Rahul Parsar (20) briefly revived hopes with a 48-run partnership. But Pakistan roared back, triggering a dramatic collapse as the Emiratis lost seven wickets for just 18 runs.

Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed shared the spoils with two wickets each, while Saim Ayub and skipper Agha Salman chipped in with one apiece.

With this result, Pakistan confirmed their Super Four berth alongside India, eliminating both UAE and Oman from the competition. The battle for the remaining two spots in Group B now continues among Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and Bangladesh.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar