Pakistan beat UAE to qualify to Asia Cup Super Four

Dubai: Pakistan secured a vital win over the UAE in a Group A clash of the Asia Cup at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Wednesday.

Chasing a target of 147, the UAE were bowled out for 105 in 17.4 overs. A promising 44-run partnership between Rahul Chopra (35) and Dhruv Parashar (20) for the fourth wicket briefly raised hopes for the hosts. However, once they fell, the rest of the batting lineup crumbled quickly.

For Pakistan, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, and Abrar Ahmed each took two wickets, effectively sealing the victory.

Earlier, Pakistan had a shaky start after being put in to bat, losing both openers early. Junaid Siddique struck twice, dismissing Sahibzada Farhan (5) and Saim Ayub (0), putting the visitors on the back foot.

Fakhar Zaman then steadied the innings with an aggressive 50 off 36 balls, featuring three fours and two sixes. His 61-run partnership with captain Salman Agha (20 off 27) helped Pakistan recover.

Despite another mini-collapse in the middle order, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s late cameo — an explosive 29 off just 14 balls, including three fours and two sixes — lifted Pakistan to a competitive total of 146/9 in their 20 overs.

For the UAE, Junaid Siddique was the pick of the bowlers, finishing with figures of 4 wickets, while Simranjeet Singh chipped in with three wickets from his full quota.

The match was delayed by an hour due to a standoff between the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the ICC. The PCB had demanded the removal of match referee Andy Pycroft following the handshake controversy in the earlier fixture against India. After the ICC rejected the request, the PCB briefly withheld its players at the team hotel before eventually agreeing to take the field.

Pakistan will meet India again in the Super Four match on Sunday.