India (131/3) secure a convincing 7 wicket victory over Pakistan (127/9) in the high voltage encounter of the Asia Cup 2025

[Dr_Bassim]

And what have Sahibzada and Haris done? The so called modern players who replaced Babar and Rizwan to play modern cricket?

Read my post again.

If they had to play like Babar and Rizwan then they would replicate what your heroes are doing.

Unfortunately, they have to try to win the game.

Something which Babar and Rizwan only managed to do if the opposition was class C or the RR was 6 to 7 (and that too once in a blue moon if all the stars aligned for them).

 

[Shaka81]

And what have Sahibzada and Haris done? The so called modern players who replaced Babar and Rizwan to play modern cricket?

To be fair Farhan at least performed fairly well in domestic cricket and has got decent stats across formats, so deserved a chance. Haris has been a total failure domestically as well as internationally other than against minnow level bowling. Also not convinced that Agha deserves a place in the T20 side nevermind as the captain. Hasan Nawaz was pushed into the team early but at least has some hitting ability. They can carry one player like this not a whole team. Anyone wanting to play internationally needs to first gain some cross format experience domestically and perform well to earn a place in the team. Then they need to keep performing to stay in the team. Can't keep carrying trash like Haris hoping they will come good.

 

[Shaka81]

Read my post again.

If they had to play like Babar and Rizwan then they would replicate what your heroes are doing.

Unfortunately, they have to try to win the game.

Something which Babar and Rizwan only managed to do if the opposition was class C or the RR was 6 to 7.

Yet no one other than Shaheen played with a good strike rate.... the shots they got out to were mostly incompetence in the name of aggression. If everyone had batted like Haris, then Pakistan would have been all out for 20. Is that what winning cricket looks like to you?!

 

[obaidsk]

Beautiful by Sky. Also beautiful by the organizers to ignore Agha.

Maza agaya.

I don't know how this guy is allowed to even post. I mean having a different opinion on cricket is fine but this type of behaviour is so not on or acceptable. An Indian in disguise is what you are!

 

[Farabi]

They are a better answer than the ones playing currently. That’s the point.

The current lot haven’t got it. They are just being forced down our throats.

When better players than Babar and Rizwan come along, they will announce themselves organically and they will take their place on merit just like Babar and Rizwan took the places of those before them.

Guys like Farhan and Haris haven’t got the chops to replace Babar and Rizwan. Some day, some players will. However, that day has not come yet.

We’re actually on the same page—I’m just trying to push toward clarity. You’re saying one day some players will replace them, but how does that day actually arrive? What steps does Pakistan cricket need to take to develop players who can play the modern game?

 

[Mamoon]

We’re actually on the same page—I’m just trying to push toward clarity. You’re saying one day some players will replace them, but how does that day actually arrive? What steps does Pakistan cricket need to take to develop players who can play the modern game?

It will happen, it’s the circle of life.

Babar and Rizwan still have 4-5 years left and by the time they are on their last legs, Pakistan will have another batch of players and there will be a couple of them who will be of good quality, like Babar and Rizwan were.

Pakistan produced Miandad, Inzamam, Yousuf, Younis and then Babar. They will produce more batsmen too, maybe not as frequently as other countries but they still will.

Same goes for WKs too. Sarfaraz replaced Akmal who replaced Moin/Latif. Rizwan replaced Sarfaraz and someone will replace him across formats but that someone is not Haris.

If people are tired of Babar and Rizwan, that is fine. There is no denying they have been underwhelming and for very long, but, you can’t force inferior players down our throats just because you are tired of them.

We have seen enough of Haris since 2022 to come to the conclusion that just like Azam Khan, he is not good enough to replace Rizwan as Pakistan’s WK.

Similarly, you watch Farhan bat and the way he moves his feet makes it glaringly obvious that he isn’t someone who can replace Babar.

Pakistan must accept that for all their faults and shortcomings, Babar and Rizwan still make the team on pure merit. We cannot deny this. That doesn’t mean that we should neglect their failures or not demand them to improve.

Let me put it this way — Pakistan has not yet reached a point where they can drop both of them and expect the team to be stronger. It will happen one day, but not today.

PCB will die on this hill and it will die very soon. They will both be back very soon and rightly so.

 

[Nabeel23]

I don’t understand what difference Babar/Rizwan would have made today.

Babar would have gotten out to one of the spinners straight after the powerplay, his main struggle is against spin and I don’t think he would have lasted. He has been struggling after the powerplay and I think today would have been no different.

Rizwan would have probably have played a 35 off 40 ball innings similar to Farhan and would have gotten out trying to up the tempo. He premeditates too much and doesn’t play the ball on merit so that is always a risk against the better bowlers like bumrah/kuldeep.

Both would have flopped today, I think as of right now we should stick with the current squad till the World Cup at least, they are mostly inexperienced and it showed today.

Strike rotation and shot selection is a real cause for concern for Pakistan. They really need to improve that for them to have any chance against the big teams. They could have probably added 20-30 runs in singles and doubles today if they have better game awareness and the score would have looked a lot different.

I don’t think Faheem adds much value against the better teams, he isn’t bowling much and to be honest anyone can play his cameos like Rauf/Hasan.

Pitches in Sri Lanka will aid spin so they will need to improve on this front quickly for them to have any chance because all the big teams have good spinners.

 

[uppercut]

But I was told that Pakistan have selected modern T20 players now who will show Babar and Rizwan how to bat in this format. When will that happen?

Virat Kohli the greatest Asian cricketer but they will have to beg him

The gap between India and Pakistan on the day was as big as the crater seen at the Nur Khan airbase.

@Rajdeep @uppercut @Mesozoic

and also Rahim Yar Khan which is still on a NOTAM -->

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PGOolgoJTHA&t=470s

 

[jnaveen1980]

In the interest of minnow teams they should have given a much better batting track. These teams more often than not will implode on pitches like this. I expect a series of minnow bashing in the coming days.

 

[jnaveen1980]

Number of sixes by batsmen. Shaheen leads the pack for Pakistan

 

[JaDed]

Pakistanis and Pakistan Cricket Team nees to realise this…. indians are and always be this petty..

The further we keep ourselves from you, the better

Afridi did something similar too bro, players are just making sure they aren’t being boycotted by sponsors, everyone plays to galleries.

 

[guard]

Afridi did something similar too bro, players are just making sure they aren’t being boycotted by sponsors, everyone plays to galleries.

Nopes…. Its way changed now…

Im glad you guys did what you did…

Pakistan people and players now should realise this….

Its certainly changed a lot of perception around here…

 

[guard]

I don't know how this guy is allowed to even post. I mean having a different opinion on cricket is fine but this type of behaviour is so not on or acceptable. An Indian in disguise is what you are!

Wifes probably gone home…

 

[AZulfi]

Even a format like T20I requires 1 or 2 batsmen who know how to pace the innings, identifying boundary options against specific bowlers, and rotating the strike to avoid dot balls. It is not only about hitting. This was distinctly lacking from our batting line-up today. Look at how even a compulsive hitter like SKY paced his innings today. He showed his ability to adapt to the game situation, cutting out risky shots (something against his natural grain) and focusing instead on rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundary. This is called game awareness. Since Pakistani batsmen struggle to rotate the strike, if there are 2-3 dot balls in an over, the resultant dot ball pressure often forces them to make a mistake /slog, and they lose their wicket. If you try to hit every ball in the air, it is only a matter of time before you will mistime one.

 

[JaDed]

Nopes…. Its way changed now…

Im glad you guys did what you did…

Pakistan people and players now should realise this….

Its certainly changed a lot of perception around here…

What was the perception before, Gambhir is national coach .. hopefully the perception was same before too

 

[guard]

What was the perception before, Gambhir is national coach .. hopefully the perception was same before too

I dont know…

Personally, dont want to know you guys… Pahalgam was a shame and many Pakistanis said the same..

Thanks Surya!

 

[Savak]

Even a format like T20I requires 1 or 2 batsmen who know how to pace the innings, identifying boundary options against specific bowlers, and rotating the strike to avoid dot balls. It is not only about hitting. This was distinctly lacking from our batting line-up today. Look at how even a compulsive hitter like SKY paced his innings today. He showed his ability to adapt to the game situation, cutting out risky shots (something against his natural grain) and focusing instead on rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundary. This is called game awareness. Since Pakistani batsmen struggle to rotate the strike, if there are 2-3 dot balls in an over, the resultant dot ball pressure often forces them to make a mistake /slog, and they lose their wicket. If you try to hit every ball in the air, it is only a matter of time before you will mistime one.

Surya has played plenty of Ranji trophy cricket for India. I was impressed with how Surya played carefully against Saim, Abrar and Suffyan by showing good technique defensively, playing with a straight bat and only taking calculated risks against a very bad ball.

 

[Dr_Bassim]

Even a format like T20I requires 1 or 2 batsmen who know how to pace the innings, identifying boundary options against specific bowlers, and rotating the strike to avoid dot balls. It is not only about hitting. This was distinctly lacking from our batting line-up today. Look at how even a compulsive hitter like SKY paced his innings today. He showed his ability to adapt to the game situation, cutting out risky shots (something against his natural grain) and focusing instead on rotating the strike and hitting the odd boundary. This is called game awareness. Since Pakistani batsmen struggle to rotate the strike, if there are 2-3 dot balls in an over, the resultant dot ball pressure often forces them to make a mistake /slog, and they lose their wicket. If you try to hit every ball in the air, it is only a matter of time before you will mistime one.

Yeah but when you have like 60 in 6 overs and chasing only 128 there is no point taking risks.

 

[heddie19]

That doesn’t mean I don’t back these boys all the way

Bad day in the office.

We have to improve.

Let me know when there's a good day in the office. Let's see until when you back these talentless players. Not beyond WC '26, I am sure.

 

[Vikram1989]

No he is not selected.

Reddy is in for Aud A test matches .

 

[JaDed]

Reddy is in for Aud A test matches .

Thanks for the correction, I saw only the one day series squad, Tilak is the captain and Abhishek ll join the team as well.

 

[Ab Fan]

I have no interest in this tournament and will continue to resist from posting till the tournament ends.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Let me know when there's a good day in the office. Let's see until when you back these talentless players. Not beyond WC '26, I am sure.

Babar wouldn't have made any difference to the outcome.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Parag? He is the biggest fraudster & nepo baby of the IPL. If anything, we need Shreyas Iyer or Jaiswal in this lineup.

He is no fraud. Quality player

 

[Devadwal]

Babar wouldn't have made any difference to the outcome.

I think Babar and Rizwan could have made a difference here. Pakistan have to understand that the Dubai pitch is not ideal for stroke makers to play shots. They will get similar conditions in World T20 2026 . Anyway it's their choice to Play whoever they wants to play.

 

[Obaidd]

I have no interest in this tournament and will continue to resist from posting till the tournament ends.

Good call. I am sure it’s because of the quality of opposition. Seeing Pak lose would still be fun though right?

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I think Babar and Rizwan could have made a difference here. Pakistan have to understand that the Dubai pitch is not ideal for stroke makers to play shots. They will get similar conditions in World T20 2026 . Anyway it's their choice to Play whoever they wants to play.

If what you and supporters of RizBar say is true, then Pakistan is screwed either way.

Those two are fundamentally limited in terms of what they can do in this format.


They will provide some stability, yes. But they'll never win matches consistently by out batting any of SENA + India.

It means that, at this point, there is no combination of batsmen in the entire country that can compete with SENA + India.

A sobering thought.

 

[Obaidd]

If what you and supporters of RizBar say is true, then Pakistan is screwed either way.

Those two are fundamentally limited in terms of what they can do in this format.


They will provide some stability, yes. But they'll never win matches consistently by out batting any of SENA + India.

It means that, at this point, there is no combination of batsmen in the entire country that can compete with SENA + India.

A sobering thought.

It’s a pretty bleak situation out here. Not just with batting but bowling too. Check out the keeper situation. Options are Riz, Haris, Usman khan, Azam. Not a single good option for t20s..

 

[Nikhil_cric]

It’s a pretty bleak situation out here. Not just with batting but bowling too. Check out the keeper situation. Options are Riz, Haris, Usman khan, Azam. Not a single good option for t20s..

Bowling is alright. Even the best bowlers will get smacked on a good batting day . Abrar looks good and Shaheen is still good enough.

Haris has the highest ceiling batting wise amongst those 4 which is why Kirsten and Hesson are backing him.

Guy has unreal hand eye which allows him to play 140 + kph with ease but doesn't seem very organised /methodical.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Yet no one other than Shaheen played with a good strike rate.... the shots they got out to were mostly incompetence in the name of aggression. If everyone had batted like Haris, then Pakistan would have been all out for 20. Is that what winning cricket looks like to you?!

Mohd Haris is the most useless player ever. But this batting line is a joke it is full of hit and miss hacks.. While India plays test players like Shubman Gill. you can't expect a pathetic line up like this to beat any leading side ever, I hope they make some changes before the next tournament, this tournament is a write off already.

 

[Red-Indian]

Bowling is alright. Even the best bowlers will get smacked on a good batting day . Abrar looks good and Shaheen is still good enough.

Haris has the highest ceiling batting wise amongst those 4 which is why Kirsten and Hesson are backing him.

Guy has unreal hand eye which allows him to play 140 + kph with ease but doesn't seem very organised /methodical.

I think the simple fact is that Pakistan doesn't have enough good cricketers at this point.

Because most of these talented guys haven't received the right coaching at the right stage - say age 16 to 18, they have turned into unfinished products trying to manage at the highest level.

Of the guys you mention -

Shaheen hasn't developed a clear Plan B
Haris has no idea about shot selection
Abrar doesn't know how to bowl for wickets, only containment

It's clear the situation is bleak - similar to the West Indies...a former giant in obvious decline. At least the West Indies have the excuse of being a tiny population and cricket being a low priority.

Unless a miraculous natural talent appears fully formed, it's difficult to see how they're going to turn this around.

 

[Muhammad Saad]

Didn’t watch single ball live as I already knew the result , it’s nice that I spent my time doing things which makes me happy than watching this team play. Only bothered to watch the scorecard 30 minutes after match finishes.

 

[Ball Blazer]

Didn’t watch single ball live as I already knew the result , it’s nice that I spent my time doing things which makes me happy than watching this team play. Only bothered to watch the scorecard 30 minutes after match finishes.

Still wasted 1 precious minute of your life

 

[shah9425]

Disappointed by abysmal batting performance

Only Shaheen played a worthy innings

And handshake thing in end was disgusting move

Hopefully next Sunday we teach them a proper lesson

 

[Mesozoic]

Disappointed by abysmal batting performance

Only Shaheen played a worthy innings

And handshake thing in end was disgusting move

Hopefully next Sunday we teach them a proper lesson

Yeah you need to make sure you don't get kicked out by UAE first.


Then think about "teaching us a proper lesson".

 

[shah9425]

Yeah you need to make sure you don't get kicked out by UAE first.


Then think about "teaching us a proper lesson".

Don't worry we will defeat UAE

Will give you a proper lesson on Sunday

 

[Savak]

I think the simple fact is that Pakistan doesn't have enough good cricketers at this point.

Because most of these talented guys haven't received the right coaching at the right stage - say age 16 to 18, they have turned into unfinished products trying to manage at the highest level.

Of the guys you mention -

Shaheen hasn't developed a clear Plan B
Haris has no idea about shot selection
Abrar doesn't know how to bowl for wickets, only containment

It's clear the situation is bleak - similar to the West Indies...a former giant in obvious decline. At least the West Indies have the excuse of being a tiny population and cricket being a low priority.

Unless a miraculous natural talent appears fully formed, it's difficult to see how they're going to turn this around.

These things you mention are the responsibility of the coaches in the academy and domestic cricket. Given the fact the players in the Pakistani Cricket system, domestic cricket and the fact international players have stagnated, questions need to be asked from the coaches to assess if they have even identified the players issues, have they been working with the players to rectify them, are the players not listening or working hard to rectify them?

If it turns out the coaches have not identified the issues and have not put in the work to rectify the issue with the players, they need to be sacked. If the players are not listening they need to be axed.

If it were up to me and if PCB had the money, I would have fired all the coaches in our academies, domestic cricket and strictly hired qualified foreign coaches and would have given them a 5 year target ie these are the kinds of players you need to produce etc.

 

[Devadwal]

Don't worry we will defeat UAE

Will give you a proper lesson on Sunday

You were the one of the poster who said that Pakistan will defeat India on 14 September. What happened now? Hawa Nikal gyi ?

 

[Hitman]

Don't worry we will defeat UAE

Will give you a proper lesson on Sunday

What prevented you from teaching us a 'proper lesson' yesterday?

 

[Devadwal]

My gut feeling

Bat first and score 180 if you can.

They batted first and scored only 127.

What a thanda response

Tu samosa kha, Zyada Samoa na Kar!

Team india gave garma garam response to you and your player's.

 

[Vikram1989]

Watching game on hai episode was quite funny. Akthar in sombre mood is much better commentator than a lot of people. Shoib malik was looking like as though he got another divorce.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

I think the simple fact is that Pakistan doesn't have enough good cricketers at this point.

Because most of these talented guys haven't received the right coaching at the right stage - say age 16 to 18, they have turned into unfinished products trying to manage at the highest level.

Of the guys you mention -

Shaheen hasn't developed a clear Plan B
Haris has no idea about shot selection
Abrar doesn't know how to bowl for wickets, only containment

It's clear the situation is bleak - similar to the West Indies...a former giant in obvious decline. At least the West Indies have the excuse of being a tiny population and cricket being a low priority.

Unless a miraculous natural talent appears fully formed, it's difficult to see how they're going to turn this around.

What you have pointed out is true for longer formats.

Pakistan should be bridging the gap in T20 cricket where even we have specialists like Sharma, SKY, Dube, Varun etc.

But they don't seem to have those elite T20 players for that. Not at the level of SENA+India anyway.

 

[Red-Indian]

What you have pointed out is true for longer formats.

Pakistan should be bridging the gap in T20 cricket where even we have specialists like Sharma, SKY, Dube, Varun etc.

But they don't seem to have those elite T20 players for that. Not at the level of SENA+India anyway.

Maybe. I'm not sure why Pakistani players are allowed to continue their careers at various levels - U19, A, Senior team without working on such obvious deficiencies. Most teams are able to get players to work on them one way or the other.

You very rarely see maturation and improvement in Pakistani players. Their peak seems to be within their early years of breaking into the national team. Something is very rotten there. Maybe like @Savak says, the entire underlying coaching structure has deteriorated.

 

[cricfan432]

Pakistani players tend to perform well when they're not under spotlight, example is haris in t20 wc against sa when he was fairly new and saim against australia/sa when he was not a star. I think best is to let them play more matches so they adjust well under pressure then we can come close to beating india or any other big team in tournaments.

 

[JaDed]

Yeah you need to make sure you don't get kicked out by UAE first.


Then think about "teaching us a proper lesson".

next sunday they will play us again, the sunday after that is dependent upon reaching the final.

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Read my post again.

If they had to play like Babar and Rizwan then they would replicate what your heroes are doing.

Unfortunately, they have to try to win the game.

Something which Babar and Rizwan only managed to do if the opposition was class C or the RR was 6 to 7 (and that too once in a blue moon if all the stars aligned for them).

They are substandard sloggers (Haris, Farhan, Nawaz etc ), they will never win you anything, they might win against club level affiliates or minnows. They will fail against quality opposition all the time. Look at Mohd Nawaz he was in great form against weak teams but got out first ball when it mattered. High Strike rate is secondary ability it only comes into play when you have strong basics (like good Avg and consistency). High Strike rate is useless if you don't have basics. Basics are the foundation, without foundation and basics you get losers like Asif Ali who will fail you again and again and again.

 

[Savak]

Maybe. I'm not sure why Pakistani players are allowed to continue their careers at various levels - U19, A, Senior team without working on such obvious deficiencies. Most teams are able to get players to work on them one way or the other.

You very rarely see maturation and improvement in Pakistani players. Their peak seems to be within their early years of breaking into the national team. Something is very rotten there. Maybe like @Savak says, the entire underlying coaching structure has deteriorated.

The coaching system in Pakistan is shambolic, so many coaches in our domestic teams, academies, some working with our U19 and A teams have been around for the last 20-25 years and Pakistan has been languishing at the bottom of the rankings in almost all formats for the last 10-15 years and yet only the players and national team coaches are held accountable, what about the coaches at the bottom tier dealing with the poor pathetic raw materials being produced by the system, why is a Pakistani player who has been dropped for various deficiencies still coming back into the national team with the same deficiencies?

The people in the PCB have no real goal or incentive to improve Pakistan Cricket, they are all their to enjoy their salaries, perks privilleges, Wasim Khan came to professionalize things and probably gave up within a few months seeing that the entire culture is so rotten where he alone cannot make any changes

 

[heddie19]

Babar wouldn't have made any difference to the outcome.

Agreed but he deserves to start this format based on merit.

 

[Obaidd]

Good match, for India.

For Pak it’s a template for how not to approach a match. How changing batting order to accommodate a certain someone (Haris) can play with team morale and backfire and how then batting first to ‘utilise’ him in powerplay is wishful thinking at its finest.

If you keep giving the opposition too much respect they’ll take it and that’s what happens vs ind every time.

I am fine to accept a skill gap but the timidity every match is pissing me off. Other than that it’s fair to lose to tournament favourites. What’s the big deal, expected result.