Pakistan’s Haris Rauf celebrates the wicket of India’s Sanju Samson with teammates during the Asia Cup cricket match between India and Pakistan at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, United Arab Emirates, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP
With India emerging as the overwhelming tournament favourite, the Asia Cup has resembled a contest to determine the continent’s ‘second-best’ team. With a spot in the final on the line, Pakistan and Sri Lanka will fight it out for a claim to that honorific when they meet in the third Super Four contest at the Zayed Cricket Stadium on Tuesday (September 23, 2025).
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Coming off defeats to India and Bangladesh, respectively, only a win can ensure Pakistan and Sri Lanka have their destiny in their hand. The losing team will remain alive, but only mathematically, and will rely on favourable results as well as Net Run Rate permutations to go its way.
Pakistan and Sri Lanka’s fates are tied as much as their past. They endured a match-turning slowdown in the middle-overs after a bright PowerPlay in their previous defeats. Both batting line-ups have also exhibited a susceptibility to collapses against unfancied teams, with Pakistan’s middle-order being rocked by the UAE and Sri Lanka almost frittering away a winning position against Hong Kong.
With uncertainty lingering lower down the order, the onus to deliver will be on in-form Pakistan opener Sahibzada Farhan (132 runs) and his Sri Lankan counterpart Pathum Nissanka (146).
Suiting the pacers
The surfaces here, unlike those in Dubai, have suited the quicks more, and both sides are likely to stick to their strategy of picking two specialist seamers, backed up by a seam-bowling all-rounder.
Sri Lanka has won two matches here earlier in the tournament, and its familiarity with the conditions may give it an edge.
Published – September 23, 2025 04:20 am IST
