What's new

Pakistan’s journey in Asia Cup 2025: How far will they go?

Pakistan’s Journey in Asia Cup 2025: How far will they go?

  • Total voters
    19
BouncerGuy

BouncerGuy

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Aug 29, 2023
Runs
36,379
With the Asia Cup 2025 just weeks away, Pakistan arrive in the UAE on the back of promising form and a balanced squad blending experience with emerging talent. The group stage, Super Four battles, and the ultimate final all lie ahead — but the big question is how deep this team can run in the tournament.

With shock exclusions of stars like Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, the PCB has thrown its weight behind a youthful lineup led by new captain Salman Ali Agha 13. But can this bold strategy propel Pakistan to glory, or will it backfire against powerhouses like India and Sri Lanka?

Will they surge all the way to the trophy, fall just short in the final, or face an earlier exit in the Super Four or group stage? Let the predictions begin.
 
Losing finalists maybe.... Maybe... 50 50 on group stage exit and losing finalists
 
I have confidence in Hesson, Sahibzada, Fakhar and Salman Mirza

Good people. No nonsense. Clutch performers. No drama, just get on with the game and the job at hand.

InshaAllah all the way to the final.
 
This Asia cup has lost its edge as 3 teams are at the bottom fo the rankings. In ODIs gape is even wider. It is not that hard to reach final in an Asia ucp.

So far final history

Srilanka 12 finals (11+1) won 7 finals

India 11 finals won 8 finals

Pakistan total of 5 finals won 2 finals
 
jnaveen1980 said:
This Asia cup has lost its edge as 3 teams are at the bottom fo the rankings. In ODIs gape is even wider. It is not that hard to reach final in an Asia ucp.

So far final history

Srilanka 12 finals (11+1) won 7 finals

India 11 finals won 8 finals

Pakistan total of 5 finals won 2 finals
Click to expand...
Its interesting to see dew effect.if the tosses are screwed like 21 t20wc , pak may have a chance.if the pitch is as mischievous as ct , then they may get knocked out by india and afg.afg will really fancy against anyone on spin pitch.
 
Vikram1989 said:
Its interesting to see dew effect.if the tosses are screwed like 21 t20wc , pak may have a chance.if the pitch is as mischievous as ct , then they may get knocked out by india and afg.afg will really fancy against anyone on spin pitch.
Click to expand...
Afghanistan batting is more stable in ODI compared to T20. They cannot completely rely on their bowling.
 
Will depend on how we handle the minnow sides - if we falter against them then its curtains very early
 
Well they decided to get rid of Babar and more controversially Rizwan so reaching the semi-final is a minimum requirement
 
Pak should reach Super 4s even if they lose to India

If we are not confident about beating UAE and Oman then we should not even be here.

They will have to win at least 2/3 games in super 4s in order to make the final
 
AZulfi said:
Pak should reach Super 4s even if they lose to India

If we are not confident about beating UAE and Oman then we should not even be here.

They will have to win at least 2/3 games in super 4s in order to make the final
Click to expand...
Basically nothing short of qualifying for the final is acceptable.

Not making to final would be a failure and not making out of group a disaster.
 
I think they should reach final at least. They are the #2 in Asia after beating Afghanistan in the tri-series.

Anything less than champions or runners-up would be under-par in my opinion.
 
India and Pakistan are in a group of no worries. It's statistically predicted that these 2 will go through (yes anomoly happens but highly unlikely)- what's unfair is Group B and this has been going on for a while now where AFG/BD/SL gets put in the same group over and over again. For once I would like to see a fair grouping.

Prediction: out in super 4
 
light said:
India and Pakistan are in a group of no worries. It's statistically predicted that these 2 will go through (yes anomoly happens but highly unlikely)- what's unfair is Group B and this has been going on for a while now where AFG/BD/SL gets put in the same group over and over again. For once I would like to see a fair grouping.

Prediction: out in super 4
Click to expand...
Love the clarity of this thought.
 
Vikram1989 said:
How ? In Asia we have only 5 good teams.one group will be always unfair till another comes out.
Click to expand...
What do you mean by how? Do fair grouping instead of putting the same teams in the same groups over and over again! This has been a consistent thing in ICC tournaments/Asia cup and has been happening for a while now all because of $. In the last couple of Asia cup, BD-AFG-SL are stuck in the same group where as IND-PAK gets the easier group always because as you mentioned, there are only 5 'good' teams from asia (some more than the other but we all get the point of the 5 teams). Why are they always in the same group? Why not put one of the 3 with Ind-Pak and let's see the competition from the other group for once. When was the last time you heard the word group of death where Ind/Pak played in Asia cup? It's always the group of death for the other group.
 
light said:
Why are they always in the same group? Why not put one of the 3 with Ind-Pak and let's see the competition from the other group for once. When was the last time you heard the word group of death where Ind/Pak played in Asia cup? It's always the group of death for the other group.
Click to expand...
If the entire Asia cup is about 2 matches between ind and pak, any sponsor will panic if one more decent team is in that group. No one wants a 2007 wc scenario.
 
Vikram1989 said:
If the entire Asia cup is about 2 matches between ind and pak, any sponsor will panic if one more decent team is in that group. No one wants a 2007 wc scenario.
Click to expand...
Well there you go, you yourself agreed that it's unfairly done for 3 teams while 2 teams get to cruise to the next round always.
 
light said:
Well there you go, you yourself agreed that it's unfairly done for 3 teams while 2 teams get to cruise to the next round always.
Click to expand...
No one is saying its fair. It will go on until we get another decent team for organisers to make it impossible for unfair grouping.
 
Another realistic scenario given India's T20 strength:

Pakistan make the final but lose 3 straight games against India (Group, Super4, and Final)

Will it not mentally scar the players?
 
Raja Ishtiaq said:
In that case, they HAVE to qualify for the super 4s.

No other option after dropping RizBabar.

I will create a very toxic environment on PP if this doesn't happen!
Click to expand...

They just have to win against Oman and UAE to qualify for super 4. Or even if they win only one of those two matches, they just have to win with a big margin to qualify for super 4
 
Vikram1989 said:
No one is saying its fair. It will go on until we get another decent team for organisers to make it impossible for unfair grouping.
Click to expand...
Opposition to most eyeballs theory has to come from Ind now. Everybody’s noticing patterns of unfairness and the perpetrators are justifying it in the name of most eyeballs and most revenue. Ultimately it’s hurting everybody.
 
Sachin fan said:
They just have to win against Oman and UAE to qualify for super 4. Or even if they win only one of those two matches, they just have to win with a big margin to qualify for super 4
Click to expand...
Then they don't deserve to be in Super 4 - period
 
Obaidd said:
Opposition to most eyeballs theory has to come from Ind now. Everybody’s noticing patterns of unfairness and the perpetrators are justifying it in the name of most eyeballs and most revenue. Ultimately it’s hurting everybody.
Click to expand...

Their logic is stupid.

No other country on planet Earth thinks like this. Only "them".

:inti
 
Obaidd said:
Opposition to most eyeballs theory has to come from Ind now. Everybody’s noticing patterns of unfairness and the perpetrators are justifying it in the name of most eyeballs and most revenue. Ultimately it’s hurting everybody.
Click to expand...
Is it not the responsibility of other boards to generate more revenue than bcci to smash the unfairness?
 
sweep_shot said:
Their logic is stupid.

No other country on planet Earth thinks like this. Only "them".

:inti
Click to expand...
The mentally ill troll again rants about indians. As usual posts calling him out will be deleted but not low quality unhinged rants like these which add nothing to the discussion
 
Before the Champions trophy, Pakistan lost in the tri-series with NZ and SA. Then they crashed out of their own CT.
But now the opposite is happening. Pakistan just won the tri-series which was a precursor to this Asia cup. So, I expect Pakistan to win this Asia cup 2025.
 
misbah will try to ruin this asia cup for Pakistan by calling the players, so they do tuktuk and misbah son gets a call for international level
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Mohraheem said:
misbah will try to ruin this asia cup for Pakistan by calling the players, so they do tuktuk and misbah son gets a call for international level
Click to expand...
Where are you getting these news from??

Leave it bro... talk about the asia cup.

how far will pakistan go??

I think super 4 exit
 
Here are Saj's thoughts about the Asia Cup and the journey of Pakistan.

 
BouncerGuy said:
Where are you getting these news from??

Leave it bro... talk about the asia cup.

how far will pakistan go??

I think super 4 exit
Click to expand...
If they lose even a single match against Afghanistan/Sri Lanka in Super 4, they will be out of the tournament, as India will definitely beat Pakistan.

And don't forget that Pakistan's first match in the Super-4 stage will be against India and if Pakistan loses to India then the pressure on it will increase for the remaining matches of Super-4.

:kp
 
I didn't realise how easy Pakistan has it in this asia cup.

Super 4 qualification will mean absolutely nothing when they can reach this stage even if they lose to India!

They have to reach the final. No ifs no buts.

If they don't then we might as well bring back RizBabar yaar
 
Raja Ishtiaq said:
I didn't realise how easy Pakistan has it in this asia cup.

Super 4 qualification will mean absolutely nothing when they can reach this stage even if they lose to India!

They have to reach the final. No ifs no buts.

If they don't then we might as well bring back RizBabar yaar
Click to expand...

Another Rizbarian…the numbers are increasing gradually from 5 to 10.
 
TexasRattlesnake said:
How is it bold when India has done it multiple times (2016, 2018, 2023).

Only missed out in 2022 cause of no Kuldeep/Bumrah etc and even there the matches lost were close.

This is the Asia Cup, not the World Cup.
Click to expand...
Even 2010 Asia cup too i think. Sachin and yuvi were rested. We played with wc hopefuls and unknown class such as rohit, jadeja 🙃
 
Vikram1989 said:
Even 2010 Asia cup too i think. Sachin and yuvi were rested. We played with wc hopefuls and unknown class such as rohit, jadeja 🙃
Click to expand...
2010 India lost to SL.

2016, 2018, 2023 was dominance.

2016 no matches lost

2018 1 tie with afghanistan after resting the main team

2023 1 match lost vs bangladesh after resting the main team

Bumrah has never lost an AC match.
 
TexasRattlesnake said:
2010 India lost to SL.

2016, 2018, 2023 was dominance.

2016 no matches lost

2018 1 tie with afghanistan after resting the main team

2023 1 match lost vs bangladesh after resting the main team

Bumrah has never lost an AC match.
Click to expand...
Yeah u r rt.sl have won the toss and foolishly decided to bat instead of testing themselves in an inconsequential match where chasing was difficult( in dambulla).By that time India have stopped such things . We were always happy to lose the inconsequential last match with different squad.
 
I know we all are passionate about cricket and the Pakistani team.
However, a lot of our anger (when our team is not doing well) is actually a projection of what we hear on screens by the media personalities (ex-cricketers and other analysts). Please form your own opinions.

Bear in mind that many media houses have part ownerships in PSL cricket teams. In order to get their players in the Pak eleven they go overboard in their criticism. Needless to say, some influencers try to milk your eyeballs for the views.

One such example was on display when the Pakistani journos put unwarranted extra pressure on Saim Ayub during the pre-match presser (Pak vs India clash). Those questions could have been framed a different way. An Indian journalist would have never asked such a question to an out of form young Indian openner...and Indian team would have never thrown a young out of form player to such an import presser.

We can always criticize the team and its selection after the tournament. Now is the time to support them.

Granted these kids are not as talented as their predecessors but they deserve a chance and our support.

I know people get very emotional when it comes to Babar and Rizwan. Peiple have different opinions on the matter.
Mine is that they served their country well and now is the time to concentrate on future.

I do believe that the current lot is reasonably talented with the excepption of a few. If we support them, they might produce results in the long run.

It is also my honest opinion that if your really want Pakistani players well on the international stage then you need to invest more time on the job and financial security of our first-class cricketers. The time we ruled the world, was the time when our domestic players had job security.

Thanks for reading my post.
 
When a team wins, the same support it enjoys also comes with just as much pressure—and just as much criticism. In Pakistan, senior players often sit around abusing their juniors just to make themselves look bigger, and the Pakistani media keeps giving them the spotlight.


The truth is, you’ve never really had a proper system. Even back in the ’90s, what you had was a few out-of-the-box talented players—someone or the other would click on a given day and Pakistan would snatch a win. But that magic isn’t happening anymore. That’s why your senior players keep repeating on talk shows that Pakistan has “so much talent.”


But in today’s era, talent alone means nothing. You need a proper system—scientific, practical, logical, technical—one that develops players in skills and technique. Whether you bring in Babar Azam or even the great Wasim Akram, without a real system this Pakistani team can’t truly compete against the big sides.


Yes, support must always be there—no sport can survive long-term without it. I myself didn’t want India to play in the Asia Cup, but I’m not one of those who’ll refuse to watch just because there was no boycott. India is my team; it represents my country. Whether we win or lose, whether we play Pakistan or Bangladesh, I’ll watch and support. And you Pakistani fans should keep supporting your team too.
 
Shafikapeo said:
When a team wins, the same support it enjoys also comes with just as much pressure—and just as much criticism. In Pakistan, senior players often sit around abusing their juniors just to make themselves look bigger, and the Pakistani media keeps giving them the spotlight.


The truth is, you’ve never really had a proper system. Even back in the ’90s, what you had was a few out-of-the-box talented players—someone or the other would click on a given day and Pakistan would snatch a win. But that magic isn’t happening anymore. That’s why your senior players keep repeating on talk shows that Pakistan has “so much talent.”


But in today’s era, talent alone means nothing. You need a proper system—scientific, practical, logical, technical—one that develops players in skills and technique. Whether you bring in Babar Azam or even the great Wasim Akram, without a real system this Pakistani team can’t truly compete against the big sides.


Yes, support must always be there—no sport can survive long-term without it. I myself didn’t want India to play in the Asia Cup, but I’m not one of those who’ll refuse to watch just because there was no boycott. India is my team; it represents my country. Whether we win or lose, whether we play Pakistan or Bangladesh, I’ll watch and support. And you Pakistani fans should keep supporting your team too.
Click to expand...
Actually, Pakistan had a very good system in the 80s and at least until mid 90s when I left the country.
Cricket fans, particularly out of Pakistan are given the impression that many of Pak legends have not been the part of domestic structure and were picked out of the blue by either Imran Khan or Javed Miandad. Imran and Javed have been telling these stories because they make the anecdotes interesting. Their intentions are not sinister. They just want to add gravy to the anecdotes.

The truth is that Wasim Akram was already playing first-class cricket for PACO (Pakistan Automobiles Corportaion) before he made the debut for Pakistan. Waqar Younis was playing for UBL (United Bank Limited) for more than a year with Inzimam ul Haq and Mushtaq Ahmad. All three of the latter played for PAkistan under-19 before they made debut for Pakistan regular team. Their under-19 series with the Indian under-19 team was televised. They all played for Pakistan after a minimum of one year of domestic first-class cricket. Inzimam actually might have had more than a couple of years first-class cricket before he played for Pakistan. The stats of quite a few PAkistani legends on cricinfo are wrong.

Things started going south when the number of first-class teams start getting reduced after the 90s and now most of the first-class players have next to nothing when it comes to job security.

Unlike India, Pakistan never relied on School Cricket but Intra-city Zonal Under 14 and Under 19 competitions. They were reasonably organized along with the club cricket. By the time a player of talent was 16, he was already recognized.

All that has gone down the drain now - that's why we are getting weaker every day.

In summary, there is not a single Pakistani legend who was not a product of Pakistani domestic cricket system.
 
tiger_khan said:
I know people get very emotional when it comes to Babar and Rizwan. Peiple have different opinions on the matter.
Mine is that they served their country well and now is the time to concentrate on future.
Click to expand...
This part I don’t agree with.

Babar and Rizwan never served their country well in T20s

They only served themselves.

Rizwan refused to vacate his opening spot and even went on air to say that it’s Babar’s heart that is big for letting Saim open in his position.

Sorry, selfish people do not count as those who served the country well!
 
Rana said:
This part I don’t agree with.

Babar and Rizwan never served their country well in T20s

They only served themselves.

Rizwan refused to vacate his opening spot and even went on air to say that it’s Babar’s heart that is big for letting Saim open in his position.

Sorry, selfish people do not count as those who served the country well!
Click to expand...
I partly agree with you. I think it's true that the Pakistani T20 team could afford only one of these two players, not both of them simultaneously. Particularly the point of time when both of them were opening for Pakistan when Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel were available - was unfair. They have particularly affected Fakhar's career.

However, since the PCB management was also responsible to make openers out of these two and they did produce some results (perhaps not as much as you and I wanted them to), we can't put the blame squarely on Babar and Rizwan only.

Let's face it...if you and I are offered to open for Pakistan (if we were professional cricketers - batsmen), we would take it. No professional would let that opportunity escape from his hands.
 
Pak, BD and SL all have a mental block agaisnt Ind. Who are going to be the 2 teams to beat them in the super 4? Pak (if sense prevails and they play to their strengths) and SL both, on their day, can beat Ind. I hope for cricket’s sake together pak, bd and sl can deliver that knockout punch.
 
tiger_khan said:
Let's face it...if you and I are offered to open for Pakistan (if we were professional cricketers - batsmen), we would take it. No professional would let that opportunity escape from his hands
Click to expand...
Sorry it doesn’t work that way for me. I can swear it.

I will only open for Pakistan in T20s if I am given the free licence to do justice to this position in the powerplay

I’m swinging for the fences boy. I want every ball to hit the boundary or stands. That’s how I am going to set up and play in this position. It’s the powerplay, it’s where we cash in as a team!

If I survive it, I’m going hard and sending their spinners to the next postcode! My mentality is clear. My responsibility to the team’s cause is clear!

This is my duty to the team!
 
tiger_khan said:
I partly agree with you. I think it's true that the Pakistani T20 team could afford only one of these two players, not both of them simultaneously. Particularly the point of time when both of them were opening for Pakistan when Fakhar Zaman and Sharjeel were available - was unfair. They have particularly affected Fakhar's career.

However, since the PCB management was also responsible to make openers out of these two and they did produce some results (perhaps not as much as you and I wanted them to), we can't put the blame squarely on Babar and Rizwan only.

Let's face it...if you and I are offered to open for Pakistan (if we were professional cricketers - batsmen), we would take it. No professional would let that opportunity escape from his hands.
Click to expand...
I completely agree with you on this post and your first post to support the side.

It's the selectors job to select the side, can't overly blame the players. We need strong institutions.
 
tiger_khan said:
Unlike India, Pakistan never relied on School Cricket but Intra-city Zonal Under 14 and Under 19 competitions. They were reasonably organized along with the club cricket. By the time a player of talent was 16, he was already recognized.

All that has gone down the drain now - that's why we are getting weaker every day.

In summary, there is not a single Pakistani legend who was not a product of Pakistani domestic cricket system.
Click to expand...
School cricket system is necessary for talent to be recognized and nourished unfortunately we do not have that. SENA and india have it, maybe srilanka too i am not sure but our schools do not have infrastructure for red ball cricket. School is the place where you can put passion for cricket in children and let them grow in it and be polished.
 
Rana said:
Sorry it doesn’t work that way for me. I can swear it.

I will only open for Pakistan in T20s if I am given the free licence to do justice to this position in the powerplay

I’m swinging for the fences boy. I want every ball to hit the boundary or stands. That’s how I am going to set up and play in this position. It’s the powerplay, it’s where we cash in as a team!

If I survive it, I’m going hard and sending their spinners to the next postcode! My mentality is clear. My responsibility to the team’s cause is clear!

This is my duty to the team!
Click to expand...

But, with that mentality how are you going to average 40+ at a strike rate of 120😢
 
Rana said:
Sorry it doesn’t work that way for me. I can swear it.

I will only open for Pakistan in T20s if I am given the free licence to do justice to this position in the powerplay

I’m swinging for the fences boy. I want every ball to hit the boundary or stands. That’s how I am going to set up and play in this position. It’s the powerplay, it’s where we cash in as a team!

If I survive it, I’m going hard and sending their spinners to the next postcode! My mentality is clear. My responsibility to the team’s cause is clear!

This is my duty to the team!
Click to expand...
I commend your selflessness. However, i have played with a lot of professional cricketers - both Pakistanis and non-Pakistanis. Including two Pakistani captains.

99.99% of these guy play for themselves. It's not their fault. When one is getting paid to play cricket, the personal career takes the front seat and team's welfare, the back one.

Don't forget, cricket as a team sports has one particular attribute. In no other sports, two people get extra attention than the rest of the players in the game. A batsman and a bowler gets more camera time and attention than other players on the ground. This produces a certain individual selfishness among cricketers. To be honest, this individual pursuit of success has to marry well with the entire team's goal. Without individual success cricket can't survive as a team sports.

In summary, people who are getting paid to play cricket think very differently than the people who are not professional cricketers. There are pros and cons when players are pursuing their personal goals. In case of Pakistan, there are more cons because Babar and Rizwan were not finishing the games.

That's just my opinion. I could be wrong.
 
cricfan432 said:
School cricket system is necessary for talent to be recognized and nourished unfortunately we do not have that. SENA and india have it, maybe srilanka too i am not sure but our schools do not have infrastructure for red ball cricket. School is the place where you can put passion for cricket in children and let them grow in it and be polished.
Click to expand...
I know where you are coming from.

But just for the knowledge of people who have not been a part of Pak cricket structure; most of the private schools in the urban centers of Pakistan don't even have a ground. They have only one Sports Day during the year. A lot of these schools are in residential areas.

Government schools used to have grounds attached to them but they mostly comprised of students who couldn't afford to pay tuition fees. Cricket is an expensive sport. Due to the corruption and lack of priorities money doesn't get spent in cricket, if it does - it mysteriously evaporates.

Elite schools like mine, with swimming pools and grounds used to discourage cricket. It was too time consuming.

The engine of Pak cricket was run by wealthy individuals who could afford to run cricket clubs and attracted talent. These wealthy people loved winning and took care of all the expenses. Club cricket and zone cricket was intertwined. It produced a lot of talent. Not the school or college cricket.

School cricket might work for other countries but due to wide spread corruption is not practical in Pakistan.

The best thing would be to revive the private club cricket. From what I have heard, PCB has discouraged club cricket and has been trying to take a total control over it too.

Must revive the club cricket so that the people who are serious about cricket get the chance to play throughout the year.

This is what I see among the present lot of the players representing Pakistan. Lack of match practice. It doesn't matter who you play with. Just play as many balls and bowl as many deliveries during the year - with reasonable rest in between.
 
tiger_khan said:
Don't forget, cricket as a team sports has one particular attribute.
Click to expand...
Yes, it’s a team sport

Everyone has roles

Everyone has responsibilities

The openers swing for the fences in the powerplay. They maximise. They don’t consume dot balls consciously.

Babar and Rizwan are guilty of consciously putting themselves first before their country and team in the roles they hijacked.
 
Pakistan are my 3rd strongest team in the Asia Cup after India (1) and Sri Lanka (2).

I am comfortably placing them ahead of Bangladesh in Super 4 which leaves them with 1 game to win out of 2 against India and Sri Lanka in order to make it to the finals. I think they will pull it off, they’ve had the rough end of fate in last few years, Lady Luck will come back on their side eventually.

Finals, could be anyone’s game. Whoever does well on their given day.

I think an Asia Cup triumph would serve Pakistan, Sri Lanka a lot more than India. They need a championship to give people back home something to celebrate and they should give their everything for it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

BouncerGuy
Asia Cup 2025: UAE squad announced
Replies
0
Views
163
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
  • Locked
  • Poll Poll
Asia Cup 2025: India vs Pakistan | Match 06 | Dubai | September 14 | Pre-Match Discussion
7 8 9
Replies
704
Views
16K
AAli98
A
Ball Blazer
Asia Cup 2025: Hong Kong squad announced
Replies
5
Views
287
Varun
Varun
BouncerGuy
Asia Cup 2025: Oman squad announced
Replies
0
Views
144
BouncerGuy
BouncerGuy
The Bald Eagle
Will Indian team boycott matches against Pakistan in Asia Cup 2025 and T20 World Cup 2026?
5 6 7
Replies
490
Views
10K
Rajdeep
R
Back
Top