Pakistan vs United Arab Emirates T20 Today Match Full Scorecard Updates

Pitch number 3, I think the ball is going to come on nicely. Can see a green tinge from time to time. Pretty good covering of grass all the way through. If the seamers get it right initially, they can do some damage here. Don't think the spinners will get much turn, says Mike Haysman

Waseem: Going to bowl first. Today the way the weather is, dew will play a role. Will try to restrict them to a low total. It's a do or die game. We had a good game in Abu Dhabi. Different pitch and different game today. Jawadullah is out and Simranjeet is in.

Agha: We wanted to bat first and put them under scoreboard pressure. Great day for us to play a perfect game. They're a very good side. If we execute our plans for longer periods, we have a chance against any side. Two changes. Sufiyan and Faheem aren't playing.

There were no high-fives; no fist-bumps or excessive celebrations. Suryakumar Yadav and Shivam Dube walked back to the pavilion with cussed faces, greeted with similarly measured demeanour by the players and support staff in the dressing room. They walked with the emotional bearing of a team that has made crushing adversaries routine. The seven-wicket victory over Pakistan was not so much a stroll as it was a brutal exposing of the gulf of talent between the two sides; once equals, now no longer so.

The Indian chase was symbolically settled in two balls. The first two balls of the innings. Shaheen Shah Afridi steamed in, chugging in his long limbs like a heavy locomotive. He was searching for that dramatic yorker, curling, swinging, bending in. Hitting the pads or blasting the stumps. The design fell flat. (Read more from Sandip G)

Kuldeep Yadav grabbed a three-for to harass Pakistan in the middle overs in the Sunday’s game at Dubai. Former Pakistan players Shoaib Malik and Umar Gull were flabbergasted at the batting, while Shoaib Akhtar used sarcastic humour to say these have been issues for a while now. Former pacer Umar Gul brought up the Kuldeep Yadav factor when he said on PTV Sports: “The ball was not even spinning that much and Pakistan gave wickets to him. There was almost 10 overs of dot ball. As Shoaib Malik said now, you are not taking singles, not rotating the strike. The pressure builds on the other guy who then tries to hit next over and gets out.”

Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin has said that the Asia Cup game between India and Pakistan, which the Men in Blue won by seven wickets on Sunday, was a clear indicator that this current Pakistan team “has a lot of class” and that the Indians were in a “different league” altogether.

“I actually feel very, very sorry for the Pakistan cricket team. They don’t have the exposure to play in all the cricket leagues in the world. They’re not able to ply their trade in most of the leagues. I will not get too much into these political things. For Pakistan, I felt that only Saim Ayub has a great temperament. He also bowled a great spell, especially the way he took the wickets of Shubman Gill and Tilak Verma. It was class apart because Abhishek Sharma took him down, but besides Saim Ayub, I don’t think this Pakistan cricket team has a lot of class,” Ashwin said before adding: “Of course, India is in a different league in every way—practically, technically, and strategically. So it’s very unfair to compare.”

Andy Pycroft is the match referee under fire right now for the events that unfolded in the Asia Cup game between India and Pakistan. Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi removed a post on his Twitter wall saying that board has lodged a formal complaint against match referee Andy Pycroft with the ICC because he had allegedly requested the captains “not to shake hands during the toss”.

Pycroft has officiated over 100 Test matches since 2009, and is the fourth-most experienced match referee. And he has had his fair share of controversial matches that he has presided over during his career thus far. (READ MORE)

You have to think how Pakistan will be in a mental state to play such a crucial match with such drama happening just under one hour left for the match. UAE will be pretty happy that they might find the PAK players who are likely to be little distracted after the events that just transpired.

After Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistan counterparts during their group fixture on Sunday, the PCB has been calling for match referee Andy Pycroft to be replaced. In a communication with the International Cricket Council, PCB had demanded that the Zimbabwean be removed from his post for the match against UAE and be replaced by Richie Richardson as they claim that he had instructed captains Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha not to shake hands at the toss. However, the ICC hasn’t adhered to PCB’s request and in fact, Pycroft turned up at the Dubai International Stadium on Wednesday as per the match roster. Back and forth between the two bodies continued as Wednesday’s match was delayed.

PCB has contended that Pycroft had informed Agha that there won’t be any handshakes during the toss after Surya had taken the call to not shake hands in light of the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor. While the match between the arch-rivals went ahead, there were no customary handshakes between the two teams after India’s victory either.

And we have an official confirmation from the broadcasters where they said that the match will go ahead as scheduled but it has been delayed by 1 hr due to the events that transpired. It'll start at 9 PM IST now. Stay tuned.

The Pakistan Cricket Board has stopped its team from leaving for the stadium for the must-win Asia Cup match against the UAE. The players are currently waiting in the team hotel for further updates. The development casts a pall of uncertainty over Wednesday's match as well as Pakistan's further involvement in the tournament underway in Dubai and Abu Dhabi.

Multiple reports have also confirmed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has called an urgent press conference at its headquarters where a clear picture is expected.

There is nothing like an angry fast bowler. Shaheen Shah Afridi was an angry fast bowler during the press conference after the last PSL final. He was the victorious captain, yet he was angered by the constant pestering about his upturn in form. When a journalist asked him about it, he replied, palpably irritated: “Ramiz Raja too asked me at the toss about my form, and I told him the same thing: I am still the same Shaheen; I have neither changed nor will I.” A sharp one-liner, like the swipe of a knife, was to come: “You need to have eyes to see it but.” (READ MORE)

All eyes will be on Pakistan opener Saim Ayub in this match with the batter failing to open his account in the Asia Cup despite playing the first two matches against Oman and India. In both matches he has scored golden ducks but has had some decent spell with the ball, taking 3 vs India and 2 against Oman.

Former India skipper Sourav Ganguly recently revealed that he switched over to the Manchester derby after watching the first 15 overs of the India vs Pakistan match on September 14, saying that in the modern era, India are far ahead of Pakistan and their matches are just not competitive with the Men in Blue overwhelmingly favourites every time they meet.

“Pakistan is no match. I say that with respect just because I see what the team is, it’s the lack of quality in the side. The Indian team played this game without Virat and Rohit, who were stalwarts for such a long time,” Ganguly said in a video shared by PTI on Monday.

“India are too far ahead in cricket. From Pakistan and any of these Asia Cup teams. There’ll be one or two days when they’ll get beaten but majority of the days, they’ll be the best team. And I was not surprised with what I saw. I actually stopped watching after the first 15 overs and I was watching Manchester City play Manchester United last night. Because there is no competition any more in India vs Pakistan,” he added.

Sep 9: Afghanistan vs Hong Kong, 1st Match, Group B: AFG won by 94 runs

Sep 10: United Arab Emirates vs India, 2nd Match, Group A: IND won by 9 wickets

Sep 11: Hong Kong vs Bangladesh, 3rd Match, Group B: BAN won by 7 wickets

Sep 12: Pakistan vs Oman, 4th Match, Group A: PAK won by 93 runs

Sep 13: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka, 5th Match, Group B: SL won by 6 wickets

Sep 14: Pakistan vs India, 6th Match, Group A: IND won by 7 wickets

Sep 15: United Arab Emirates vs Oman, 7th Match, Group A: UAE won by 42 runs

Sep 15: Hong Kong vs Sri Lanka, 8th Match, Group B: SL won by 4 wickets

Sep 16: Bangladesh vs Afghanistan 9th Match, Group B: BAN won by 8 runs

Cricket legend Sunil Gavaskar cut the Pakistan cricket team down to size on Sunday after the Indian cricket team defeated them by seven wickets in their Asia Cup group stage encounter at the Dubai International Stadium in UAE. Gavaskar said that the Pakistan team looked like a “Popatwadi team” rather than a national cricket team.

“This did not look like the Pakistan cricket team to me. It looked more like a Popatwadi team,” Gavaskar said on Sony Sports Network after the match.

Having an aggressive intent, a strong structure to play high-risk game, learning to manage risk are some of the key aspects that renowned T20 power-hitting coach Julian Wood has suggested for Pakistan, which has been struggling to keep pace with the changing nature of the format. After Pakistan came up with another listless display with the bat against India, there have been plenty of questions about their approach even from their former players with many pointing out how they appeared clueless when it came down to taking down the Indian spinners. (READ MORE)

In their Group Stage match on September 14, India captain Suryakumar Yadav chose to snub his Pakistan counterpart Salman Agha at the toss and not indulge in the customary handshake. The cold shoulder by India continued after the match when Surya and Shivam Dube left the field as soon as the match ended with India’s 7-wicket win, forgoing the end of the match handshakes with Pakistan. This was a decision keeping in mind the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, their families and the soldiers who are part of Operation Sindoor.

This led to a lot of drama with the Pakistan captain boycotting the post-match presentation ceremony and the next morning, the Men in Green had complained to the ICC complaining about India, calling the snub unsporting and against the spirit of the game." They also alleged that match referee Andy Pycroft had told the captains not to shake hands which India categorically denied.

Pakistan also said that they would be withdrawing from the tournament if the match referee was not removed, even cancelling their pre-match press conference ahead of the UAE game. But ultimately cooler heads seems to have prevailed as the match is set to go on sans hitch.

While Pakistan will be taking on UAE, they must be careful of the fact that the recent handshake controversy vs India does not distract them. With a encounter with the Men in Blue almost a surety on Sunday if they go on to the Super 4s, they must not look past the job at hand. If they look too far ahead, UAE might just spring a surprise.

India’s dominant performance has simplified the equations in Group A, with Pakistan and the UAE heading into the final round of the league stage with a shot at the next round. Both teams will need a win and win only. If UAE win, they'll reach 4 points and if Pakistan win, they'll reach 4 points. It's fairly simple, win and you are in, lose and you go home.

Every recent tournament that Pakistan have played, it has seemed like they are always in the fight to reach the knockout stages following their group commitments. The 2025 Asia Cup is no different with the Men in Green taking on UAE with the winner of the match advancing to the Super 4s with India. It should be an easy win for Pakistan but as their 2024 T20 World Cup loss to USA had shown, the team is perfectly capable of imploding when you least expect them to. Will they keep it together this time around? Let's wait and watch.

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