India vs Pakistan Final Confirmed At Asia Cup 2025; Major Takeaways From PAK vs BAN Ft. Shaheen Afridi

Pakistan and Bangladesh locked horns in a virtual semifinal today (September 25) in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four stage where the winner would secure a berth in the final opposite India. Pakistan batted first and could post only 135/8 but Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf came out breathing fire sharing six wickets between them to restrict Bangladesh to 124/9 in 20 overs.

While it was a low-scoring affair, the contest went down to the wire with the Men in Green securing a 11-run win in the end. In the process, Bangladesh are now eliminated from the continental tournament. The result now sets up a high-octane IND vs PAK Final for the first time in Asia Cup.

Ahead of that, let’s take a look at key highlights from the PAK vs BAN game.

The Shaheen Afridi show

Pakistan speedster Shaheen Afridi showed why he is one of the most lethal pacers in business after a matchwinning spell of 3/17 from his four overs. He first delivered with two wickets in the powerplay before returning in death to get another. He is currently the third highest wicket-taker in the tournament with nine wickets from six games.

Not only with the ball, Shaheen has been delivering with the bat in the tournament as well. Given Pakistan’s middle-order struggles, the 25-year-old once again stepped up today to help his side out of crisis when they were reeling at 49/5 in 10.5 overs.

The left-hander came out at No.7 and hit a quickfire 13-ball 19 which included two sixes to tip the momentum. So far, Afridi has scored 83 runs in four innings, averaging at an astonishing 83.00 with scores of 2*, 33*, 29*, and 19.

Saim Ayub registered his fourth duck of Asia Cup 2025

Saim Ayub’s consistent failures to deliver at the top has cost Pakistan massively. He registered his fourth duck in the tournament in six outings and has managed just 23 runs at a below par average of 3.83.

However, Ayub had made some amends for his horror batting show by picking up wickets regularly. After Shaheen and Rauf, he is the next highest wicket-taker for Pakistan in the multi-nation event with eight wickets from six games at an average of 14.

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Bangladesh feel Litton Das’ absence

The absence of skipper Litton Das took a heavy toll on the side as they failed to wrap up an easy chase of 136 runs. This was in fact the lowest total successfully defended by Pakistan against Bangladesh in T20Is. The wicketkeeper-batter was in good touch in the tournament, scoring 119 runs in four games at 29.75 including a fifty but had to sit out of Bangladesh’s last two games against India and Pakistan owing to side strain he suffered during practice session. Incidentally, Bangladesh both the games, which underlies that Litton’s presence with the bat and from behind the stumps could have made a big difference in deciding their fate.

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