Pakistan captain Salman Agha roars at India after beating UAE to earn a rematch in Super Four of Asia Cup 2025

After being reduced to 93 for 6 in 15.1 overs, another Shaheen Afridi cameo (29* off 14) took Pakistan to a respectable total of 146 for 9, which they defended successfully by bowling UAE out for 105 in 17.5 overs.

In their first match in the Super Four stage on Sunday, Pakistan will take on, guess who? India, of course, in Dubai. The match is expected to attract more off-the-field drama than any of their previous encounters -- that is saying a lot considering their famed rivalry -- on the backdrop of what transpired last Sunday during a group stage match.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav did not shake hands with Salman Ali Agha at the toss. The Indian team had decided to play against Pakistan with a businesslike attitude and did not engage in handshakes with their opponents before and after the match. This triggered a series of chain reactions. Pakistan lodged an official complaint against India's 'unsportsmanlike behaviour' and they even went on to demand the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft from the remainder of the tournament, accusing the former Zimbabwe cricketer of misconduct during the toss.

The Pakistan Cricket Board's stance of not turning up for the match against UAE unless Pycroft is removed delayed the must-win game by an hour before it finally began after PCB claimed Pycroft 'apologised to them'.

India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in a heavily one-sided contest and the last few encounters between the two sides have been in their favour across formats. When Salman Ali Agha was asked about the prospect of facing the same Indian side that refused to shake hands with them during the group stage match, the Pakistan captain said they are ready for the challenge.

"We're ready for any challenge and if we keep playing the way we have over the last four months, we'll be good against any side," he said in the post-match presentation.

Fakhar Zaman scored 50 off 36 balls and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi added a brisk 29 not out as Pakistan made a modest 146-9 after being put in to bat.

Spinner Abrar Ahmed led Pakistan's bowling charge with 2-13 as the UAE were dismissed for 105 in 17.4 overs. Shaheen took 2-16 and fellow paceman Haris Rauf 2-19.

Rahul Chopra top-scored for the UAE with a run-a-ball 35.

Salman Agha agreed that Pakistan needs come up with an improved batting performance in the Super Four stage. "We got the job done but we still need to improve our batting in the middle order. That's been a concern and something we need to work on. Apart from that, we did a good job. We haven't batted at our best yet...we're still just finding our way to 150. If we bat well in the middle overs, we can push it to 170 no matter the opposition. Shaheen's batting has improved a lot--he's already great with the ball. Saim is someone who has been bringing us back into games and I hope he can continue like this till the end."

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