In the high-stakes Super Fours clash of the Men’s Asia Cup 2025 at Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Bangladesh captain Jaker Ali won the toss and chose to bowl first against Pakistan on Thursday. This match could decide who joins India in the final on September 28, with both teams fighting for a spot after splitting their earlier games.
Bangladesh made key changes to their lineup, bringing in Mahedi Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, and Nurul Hasan to replace Saif Hassan, Nasum Ahmed, and Tanzid Hasan. It’s their second straight outing in the tournament following a 41-run defeat to India. Jaker explained the decision: "The pitch looks pretty dry. We’ve bowled well when chasing, so we’re sticking with that plan. Our bowlers have stepped up, but we need a strong batting performance today. We’re all in for the title—that’s our focus."
Pakistan, led by Salman Agha, kept their winning XI unchanged from their victory over Sri Lanka. Agha, who preferred batting first, stayed positive: "It’s fine—we wanted to bat, but this pitch seems solid. Building a big score puts pressure on the opposition. We’ve defended totals over 150 successfully, and beating Sri Lanka felt amazing. Now, we just need to execute our strategy and play smart cricket to reach the final."
Both sides sit at one win and one loss in the Super Fours, having toppled Sri Lanka but falling to India. A win here sends either the Bangladesh cricket team or Pakistan cricket team straight to the Asia Cup final.
Here’s how the teams line up:
Bangladesh: Saif Hassan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali (c & wk), Nurul Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman.
Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed.
Fans are buzzing about this crucial Asia Cup 2025 showdown, with the dry Dubai pitch likely favoring spinners and setting up a tense battle between these two rivals.
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