Cricket

Who: India vs Pakistan
What: T20 Asia Cup Super Fours
When: Sunday, September 21 at 14:30 GMT
Where: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai, UAE
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 09:30 GMT in advance of our live text commentary stream.

It will be a case of “here we go again” as bitter rivals India and Pakistan meet on the cricket field for the second time in eight days at the T20 Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai.

The stakes will be higher this time as their clash on Sunday takes place in the Super Fours stage, and the winning side will take one step closer to the final, while the losers will move further away from the tournament decider.

India will start as favourites for multiple reasons, not least their seven-wicket thrashing of Pakistan in their Group A match on September 14.

In addition to their status as the ICC’s top-ranked men’s T20 team, Suryakumar Yadav’s side are the tournament’s defending champions and the reigning T20 champions.

For Pakistan, a lot more than two points will be on the line as they will look to put aside not only the embarrassing defeat but also events that transpired following their thumping loss, as India’s players walked off the field without partaking in the customary post-match handshake.

Here’s what you need to know about the match:

What happened in the last India vs Pakistan match?

India stamped their authority on the match with the first ball, as Pakistan’s opener Saim Ayub Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling and wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.

It wasn’t until Shaheen Shah Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over and finished at 128.

The target was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup, and opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls.

Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament.

India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match.

What happened after the match?

Yadav walked off the field alongside his batting partner, Shivam Dube, without approaching the Pakistani captain and team for the traditional post-match handshakes.

Pakistan’s players trudged off in a group and waited for the Indian squad and support staff to come out and shake hands, as is the norm at the end of cricket matches.

However, the Indian contingent only shook hands with each other before walking into their dressing room and shutting the door as the waiting Pakistan players looked on.

Why did India’s players not shake hands with the Pakistani team?

“A few things in life are above sportsman’s spirit,” India’s captain Yadav said when asked to clarify his team’s actions.

“We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and with their families, and dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor.”

Yadav was referring to the Indian armed forces’ multiple missile attacks on six locations inside Pakistan.

How did Pakistan respond?

Pakistan’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a protest against the Indian cricket team’s actions with Pycroft, who is an ICC accredited match referee.

Additionally, Pakistan captain Agha did not speak at the post-match captain’s chat with the host broadcaster, in a mark of protest.

Three days later, Pakistani officials deliberated pulling out of the tournament as a mark of protest, causing a delayed start to their match against the UAE.

Why is India ‘hosting’ the Asia Cup in the UAE?

India was slated to host the tournament as per the hosting rights schedule, and while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the official host of the tournament, it is being played in the UAE due to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

What’s the weather forecast for India vs Pakistan in Dubai?

The weather forecast for Sunday is hot and humid, with highs of 41 degrees Celsius (106 degrees Fahrenheit) and partial cloud cover.

It will get slightly cooler in the evening as the match will start just after sunset, and the temperature will drop to 31C (88F).

How many times has Pakistan won the Asia Cup?

Pakistan have lifted the trophy on two occasions – in 2000 and 2012 – and qualified for the final five times.

India are seven-time Asia Cup champions, with 11 appearances in the final.

How many times has India beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup?

In their 20 clashes in the Asia Cup, India have beaten Pakistan 11 times and lost to their neighbours on six occasions. Three matches, including the group-stage match in 2023, were abandoned due to poor weather.

When was the last time Pakistan beat India?

Pakistan’s last Asia Cup win over India came in the 2022 edition in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71 runs in the Super Four clash, but it was Mohammad Nawaz’s 20-ball-41 that took Pakistan over the line in the run chase.

India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is

Since the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the countries have met in 14 T20Is. India has won 11 times, including the first match in 2007, which was tied and then decided in a Super Over.

Two of Pakistan’s three wins came in Dubai.

Players to watch: India

• Abhishek Sharma: The fact that the young top-order batter has managed to carve a spot in a highly competitive T20 Indian batting lineup is enough to mark Sharma as one to watch in the Asia Cup. The 24-year-old boasts the highest career strike rate of 198 among all batters in T20s and backs it up with two centuries and half-centuries in the format.
• Varun Chakaravarthy: The 34-year-old leg-spin bowler’s second foray into the Indian side has reaped him big rewards as he has taken 35 wickets in 20 T20I matches.

Players to watch: Pakistan

• Hasan Nawaz: Pakistan have often been criticised for their batters’ inability to match modern-day T20 batting strike rates, but in Nawaz, they seem to have found a solution to this problem. The 23-year-old has a strike rate of 174, with a T20 hundred and two fifties in his 16 matches.
• Sufiyan Muqeem: The left-arm wrist spinner has taken 27 wickets in his 19 T20Is since making his debut less than two years ago and has become a mainstay of the bowling lineup in limited-overs cricket.

Form guide: India

India are unbeaten in the Asia Cup and have not lost a T20 series since winning the World Cup in June 2024.

Last five results (most recent first): W-W-W-W-W

Form guide: Pakistan

Pakistan’s form in T20s has been mixed of late and but they head into the marquee clash with a series win in the bag.

Last five results (most recent first): W-L-W-W-L

Team news: India

After resting a couple of their star bowlers in the game against Oman, the holders are expected to go back to the same team that beat Pakistan in the group stage.

Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.

Team news: Pakistan

Despite the loss on Sunday, Pakistan are expected to field the same XI and will hope the result goes their way this time.

Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Faheem Ashraf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Where can I buy tickets for India vs Pakistan?

A selection of seats, starting at $95 apiece for the general stand and going up to $8,767 for a four-person hospitality box, is still available on the tournament’s official ticketing website, Platinumlist, and at the stadium’s ticketing office.

India given scare by Oman but winning run continues after 21-run victory at 2025 Asia Cup.

World champions India overcame a gutsy Oman team to win the last group match of the Asia Cup by 21 runs and stay unbeaten in the T20 tournament.

India had already qualified for the Super Four stage and posted 188-8 after they elected to bat first at Abu Dhabi on Friday.

Oman – ranked 20th in world T20 rankings – put up a spirited batting show and finished on 167-4 after top knocks from Aamir Kaleem, who made 64, and Hammad Mirza, who hit 51.

The left-right batting pair of Kaleem and Mirza put on 93 runs for the second wicket and attempted to pull off the chase with some late boundaries that gave India a scare.

Hardik Pandya broke the stand with a stunning outfield catch to dismiss Kaleem off Harshit Rana and then sent back Mirza with his pace bowling in the next over.

Left-arm quick Arshdeep Singh snared the fourth wicket of the innings and his 100th in T20 internationals — the first Indian bowler to reach the century mark.

Earlier, wicketkeeper-batsman Sanju Samson top-scored with 56, and his second-wicket partnership with explosive opener Abhishek Sharma, who made 38 off 14 balls, laid the platform for India’s total.

Oman struck regular blows in their first meeting with the reigning T20 World Cup winners.

Shah Faisal, fellow left-arm quick Jiten Ramanandi and left-arm spinner Kaleem took two wickets each.

India and Pakistan moved into the Super Four from Group A and face each other again on Sunday, a week after India’s players refused to shake hands with their neighbours after victory in a group match.

Sri Lanka clash with Bangladesh in the first match of the Super Four on Saturday after the two teams made the next stage from Group B.

Pakistan agrees to have Andy Pycroft as a cricket match referee after he apologises for his role in a handshake row against India.

Pakistan’s cricket match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in the Asia Cup was delayed by an hour amid uncertainty about the fixture as Pakistani officials deliberated pulling out of the tournament as a mark of protest.

The match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium began at 7:30pm local time (15:30 GMT) on Wednesday, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) reached an agreement on Andy Pycroft’s assignment as match referee following his role in the “no handshake” row involving India three days earlier.

“The ICC’s match referee, Andy Pycroft, has apologised to the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team,” the PCB said in a statement released minutes before the toss for the Pakistan-UAE fixture.

“Andy Pycroft termed the September 14 incident a result of miscommunication.”

The PCB also said that the ICC “expressed its willingness to conduct an inquiry into the code of conduct violation that occurred during the September 14 match”, referring to Pycroft’s request to Pakistan and India captains to avoid the customary handshake at the toss, which the PCB alleges contravened the laws of the game.

Pycroft was the key match official in the crucial and politically charged match between the South Asian archrivals on Sunday, and had allegedly asked Pakistan’s captain Salman Agha and his Indian counterpart Suryakumar Yadav to not partake in the customary captains’ handshake at the toss.

Later, once Yadav hit the winning runs for India, he walked off the field along with his batting partner Shivam Dube without shaking the opposition’s hands – a tradition in cricket – in a move that went uncontested by the match officials.

Additionally, the Indian players and staff did not shake hands with the Pakistani contingent and instead shut the door of their dressing room as the Pakistanis looked on.

The move, and Pycroft’s decision not to reprimand the Indian team, infuriated the PCB, which lodged an immediate complaint with the tournament’s organisers.

The PCB also wrote to the ICC on Monday, asking for Pycroft’s removal as match referee for all of Pakistan’s remaining fixtures due to his “failure to discharge his duties”, according to a PCB official who spoke to Al Jazeera on the condition of anonymity.

The deadlock, resulting from the ICC’s apparent refusal to remove Pycroft, lasted up until an hour prior to the official match start time.

Later, as Pycroft conducted the toss in Dubai, the PCB released a video of a meeting where ICC General Manager of Cricket Wasim Khan is seen mediating a settlement between Pycroft and the Pakistan team – represented by manager Naveed Akram Cheema, captain Agha, and head coach Mike Hesson.

Hours earlier, the match’s fate was left in limbo as the Pakistani squad did not board the bus for the venue at its scheduled departure time, indicating a logistical logjam between the PCB and the ICC.

However, once both parties had reached an agreement, the team departed for the stadium. But the fate of the match became certain five minutes before the toss with the PCB’s statement.

Meanwhile, the UAE squad awaited Pakistan’s arrival at the stadium under a cloud of uncertainty.

The Group A fixture acts as a knockout game for both teams, with the winner progressing to the Super Four stage of the eight-nation tournament.

India have already qualified for the next stage on the back of their wins against the UAE and Pakistan.

Eight-run cricket win keeps Bangladesh in the running for the next phase, while Afghanistan must beat Sri Lanka to make it.

Bangladesh have kept themselves in contention for the next round of cricket’s Asia Cup 2025 by defeating Afghanistan by eight runs in their Group B encounter in Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates.

Afghanistan came close to securing their place in the Super Four stage and knocking out Bangladesh, but fell short in their chase of 155 on Tuesday.

The Bangladeshi pacers kept Afghanistan’s batters in check with regular wickets as Mustafizur Rahman (3-28 in four overs), Nasum Ahmed (2-11 in four overs) and Taskin Ahmed (2-34 in four overs) applied the brakes on Afghanistan’s innings.

Apart from Rahmanullah Gurbaz 35 (31) and Azmatullah Omarzai 30 (16), none of the Afghan batters could move into the 30s.

Captain Rashid Khan’s flurry at the end of the innings – 20 (11) – did look threatening for Bangladesh at one point, but once he was dismissed, Afghanistan’s chances were all but gone.

Despite a couple of late sixes from spinner Noor Ahmad, Afghanistan fell short and were dismissed for 145 in their 20 overs.

Earlier, Tanzid Hasan top-scored for Bangladesh with a half-century (52 off 31) to help set up a challenging target of 154-5 in 20 overs.

Rashid and Noor took two wickets apiece for Afghanistan.

Bangladesh have now played all three of their group games and will await the result of Afghanistan’s all-important match against Sri Lanka on Thursday.

Sri Lanka are at top spot with four points, and Bangladesh move to second place with four points.

The Tigers will hope that Sri Lanka beat Afghanistan to open their path to the Super Fours.

Should Afghanistan win, the net run rate could come into play as a deciding factor.

A COUNTY Championship match between Somerset and Hampshire was postponed due to a bizarre weather ruling on Monday.

Several games in the competition had been rained off elsewhere in the country, but it was the wind which was eventually deemed unplayable in sunny Taunton.

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Rain had passed through the ground overnight and into the morning and prompted a lunch-time pitch inspection of the field, but soon the rain had blown over to sunny skies.

However, it was reportedly another weather phenomena that put the final nail in the coffin of the day’s cricket action, before a single ball was bowled.

High winds in the area had reportedly made removing the covers a hazardous prospect for groundstaff at County Ground.

There is a precedent for such injuries, with groundsman Matt Page of the Western Australian Cricket Association being struck and concussed by one of his own coverings during an Ashes test in Perth in 2017.

The Times reports that umpires Ben Debenham and David Millns made an inspection of the scene as fans waited for play to finally begin.

But they were waiting in vain, with the game later being abandoned, in line with England and Wales Cricket Board health and safety guidelines.

Those in attendance were initially left in the dark as to the reason for the delay, with the eventual decision being announced after tea

The cricket world was evidently unimpressed by the situation, with several fans of the sport slamming the ECB in reply to The Times’ report.

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One fan said: “And they wonder why the County game is not in rude health? This was simply ridiculous.”

Another fan was just as harsh, saying: “This is a complete disgrace. Why is the ECB not in hot water over this ridiculous rule?

Some fans found the funny side of the ridiculous situation, with a third fan adding: “I’m surprised they allow the ball to land in the crowd…”

And a fourth fan sarcastically chimed in: “How are they allowed to play with that very hard ball?”

Like most of Monday’s postponed matches, the contest eventually got underway on Tuesday, with Somerset choosing to start off with bat in hand.

Middlesex and Lancashire however were subject to a further rain delay as they met at Old Trafford Cricket Ground.

Follow the build-up, score and live text commentary stream from the Asia Cup match at Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

India’s most recent encounter with Pakistan in the Asia Cup was celebrated as a patriotic spectacle: a win dedicated to the armed forces and those affected by the Pahalgam attack. Such declarations, however, expose something deeper: a strategy of playing politics with sport, hypocrisy masked as principle.

Beneath this posturing and tokenism lies a contradiction too stark to ignore. This is not just sport. It is cynical theatre in which administrators, players and commentators attempt to ride on two boats at the same time. The hypocrisy is visible to anyone with a sane set of eyes.

At the heart of this contradiction is the relationship between India and Pakistan in cricket. Officially, India refuses bilateral cricket with Pakistan. The line is firm: no tours, no series and no diplomacy. The justification rests on national security, especially after the clash between the South Asian neighbours in May.

Indian artists are banned from collaborating with their Pakistani counterparts. Pakistani singers and actors once popular in India have been cut off on social media and otherwise. Indian celebrities themselves are trolled and shamed for past collaborations done on neutral grounds.

Yet the same ecosystem explodes with excitement when India faces Pakistan in multination tournaments. Matches are packaged as spectacles, marketed as the “greatest rivalry” and cashed in for billions in advertising revenue.

This duality is not accidental. Jay Shah, now serving in International Cricket Council (ICC) leadership, has been accused of pressuring Team India into playing Pakistan despite reluctance from within the camp. Sanjay Raut, a member of parliament in India, recently alleged that Shah’s hand forced the decision, turning the match into an obligation rather than a choice.

If true, this signals how far politics has penetrated Indian cricket administration for the sake of money and clout. The game is no longer simply sport but a vehicle for symbolic battles decided in boardrooms, not dressing rooms.

The hypocrisy becomes sharper when one considers the home environment. While Indians in other spheres faced online lynching for working with Pakistani colleagues even before the war, cricketers are being placed on a pedestal for defeating Pakistan. It is not only about double standards. It is about a calculated exploitation of sentiment.

Cricket is permitted as the only arena of “contact” because cricket sells more than most things in India. The ban on cultural exchange is explained as nationalism, but cricket is exempted in the name of multilateral obligations and commercial survival. Dedications of wins to soldiers and terror victims act as moral cover for what is essentially a business transaction. This is sheer hypocrisy and tokenism.

If India insists on involving politics in sport, consistency demands more. Look at Muslim athletes and countries known for boycotting matches against Israeli opponents. They forfeit games, risk sanctions and face bans. Whatever one thinks of their politics, their actions are clear, uncompromised and costly. They make a stand and face consequences.

India refuses bilateral cricket with Pakistan yet plays them in ICC tournaments because the money is too big to lose, especially when most of it comes home through viewership endorsements and advertisements. It tries to sail on two boats, waving nationalism with one hand while collecting profits with the other. The dedication of victories to the armed forces does not erase that contradiction. It exposes it.

The India-Pakistan rivalry itself is not what it used to be. Competitive balance has tilted drastically. India has dominated recent contests due to the Pakistani team’s poor form. Suspense is long gone, but the manufactured hype remains.

Broadcasters and advertisers pump the match as if it still defines the fate of nations. In reality, it defines the fate of sponsorship deals. The sporting value is hollowed out. The symbolic gestures after each victory only add to the theatre. In their latest match on Sunday, Indian players refused to shake hands with their Pakistani counterparts.

Such dissonance turns patriotism into branding and erodes the dignity of national discourse. The Board of Control for Cricket in India, the ICC leadership and political voices close to the game must confront this contradiction. Cricket cannot remain both business and battlefield. A rivalry stripped of sporting essence but inflated with symbolism cannot endure. The Pahalgam victims deserve solidarity but should not be used as props for cricketing theatre. Sport deserves freedom from tokenism.

Instead of continuing this hybrid model of opportunism, India can opt for one of two choices. It can refuse to play Pakistan entirely, across all formats, including ICC tournaments. That would align deeds with words at the highest level. It would be costly in terms of ICC sanctions and revenues, but it would at least be consistent.

Or India can accept playing Pakistan as part of sport while removing politics and symbolic dedications from the game. That would mean treating cricket as cricket, not as a stage for nationalism.

India’s cricket establishment must choose one path. If it wants politics in sport, it must show the courage of consistency. If it wants to keep politics out, it must strip away the hollow dedications and patriotic posturing. The current approach of trying to sail on two boats is not sustainable. It fools no one, neither at home nor abroad. Cricket is being diminished by this hypocrisy and so is national dignity.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera’s editorial stance.

Dubai, UAE – The wide-ranging ramifications of an ongoing political standoff between India and Pakistan have led to a controversial conclusion of the archrivals’ cricket match at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, where India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav confirmed that his squad opted against shaking hands with their opponents as a mark of protest.

When Sunday’s Group A fixture between the South Asian archrivals was confirmed after long deliberations from the Indian government, fans and experts had hoped that the on-field action could help cool the off-field heat.

Yadav, though, crushed all expectations by saying his team’s thumping seven-wicket win in the T20 match was a “perfect reply” to Pakistan in the wake of the intense four-day cross-border conflict that brought both countries to the brink of an all-out war in May.

“Our [Indian] government and the BCCI [Board of Control for Cricket in India] were aligned on the decision to play this match. We came here just to play the match and gave them [Pakistan] a perfect reply,” Yadav told the media shortly after the match.

What happened at the end of the India vs Pakistan match?

Yadav, who hit the winning runs for India, walked off the field alongside his batting partner, Shivam Dube, without approaching the Pakistani captain and team for the traditional post-match handshakes.

Pakistan’s players trudged off in a group and waited for the Indian squad and support staff to come out and shake hands, as is the norm at the end of cricket matches.

However, the Indian contingent only shook hands with each other before walking into their dressing room and shutting the door as the waiting Pakistan players looked on.

No handshakes between the teams. Salman Agha looked to lead Pakistan over to the India dressing room, but nothing doing. They all headed straight in #INDvPAK pic.twitter.com/0BbJtYdkAf

— Paul Radley (@PaulRadley) September 14, 2025

Why did Indian team refuse to shake hands with Pakistani players?

The Indian captain was asked to clarify his team’s actions and whether they were in contradiction with the spirit of the sport.

“A few things in life are above sportsman’s spirit,” the 35-year-old swiftly responded.

“We stand with all the victims of the Pahalgam terror attack and with their families, and dedicate this win to our brave armed forces who took part in Operation Sindoor.”

Yadav was referring to the Indian armed forces’ multiple missile attacks on six locations inside Pakistan.

India said the missiles were in response to the April 22 attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir in Pahalgam, in which 26 men were killed. An armed group called The Resistance Front (TRF), which demands independence for Kashmir, claimed responsibility for the attack, but India had alleged Pakistani involvement.

Two days later, Pakistan responded to the missile strikes by attacking military installations across its frontier with India and Indian-administered Kashmir, striking at least four facilities.

The conflict ended four days later, thanks to an internationally-brokered ceasefire.

While the exchange of aerial fire came to a halt, the diplomatic ties between the neighbours remained suspended, and the political tension spilled over into cricket when the fixture between India and Pakistan was announced by the Asian Cricket Council (ACC).

Did India break any rules by not shaking hands?

As a result, the match was played under a highly charged political climate, and when both captains did not indulge in the customary handshake at the pre-match toss, the focus swiftly shifted to the interactions between the teams.

However, Al Jazeera has learned that the match referee, Andy Pycroft, had asked Yadav and his counterpart, Agha, to skip the pre-toss ritual.

“The match referee requested both captains to not shake hands at the toss,” an official of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), requesting anonymity, told Al Jazeera after the match.

Match officials also granted India permission to skip the post-match handshakes with Pakistan, but did not inform Agha or his team, according to the source.

This resulted in an awkward-looking post-match scenario, where the Pakistani players followed Yadav off the pitch and waited for the Indians to emerge, only to watch them shut the dressing room door.

How did Pakistan respond?

Pakistan’s manager Naveed Akram Cheema lodged a protest against the Indian cricket team’s actions with Pycroft, who is an International Cricket Council (ICC) accredited match referee.

“The umpires had allowed the Indians to walk off the field without shaking hands for which the match referee apologised after the protest of our team manager,” the official said.

Additionally, Pakistan captain Agha did not speak at the post-match captain’s chat with the host broadcaster in a mark of protest.

Mike Hesson, Pakistan’s head coach, confirmed that Agha’s refusal to show up for the talk and the media briefing was a “follow-on effect” of the Indian team’s actions.

“We were ready to shake hands at the end of the game, but our opposition did not do that,” Hesson said.

“We sort of went over there to shake hands, and they had already gone into the changing room.”

Why are handshakes important in cricket, and what’s the protocol?

As per the norm in cricket, the two on-field players of the team batting second shake hands with the fielding team and the umpires before walking off.

And in what is now a common practice in all international cricket matches, the batting team then enters the ground to shake hands with their opponents.

It offers both sides to end the match on a friendly note and exchange words of encouragement.

In the same manner, both teams’ captains shake hands before the toss, which takes place 30 minutes before the start of play.

The toss is conducted by the match referee on the pitch and usually broadcast live.

Both captains and the match referee can also indulge in a pre-match chat regarding team lineups or any other matters of mutual interest for both teams.

The match referee can also meet a captain, head coach or manager of either team before the match.

What have the tournament officials said about the incident?

The move was lamented by the ACC chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the chairman of the PCB.

“Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today,” Naqvi said in a post on X.

“Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports.”

Utterly disappointing to witness the lack of sportsmanship today. Dragging politics into the game goes against the very spirit of sports. Lets hope future victories are celebrated by all teams with grace

— Mohsin Naqvi (@MohsinnaqviC42) September 14, 2025

Al Jazeera has reached out to the ACC for a comment on the revelation that both captains were asked not to shake hands at the toss.

The ACC has not yet responded to the request.

Pakistan and India are likely to meet again in the Asia Cup if both teams qualify for the Super Four stage.

India have all but qualified after two wins in two games, while Pakistan face the UAE in a must-win fixture on Wednesday.

Should both teams win their respective games, their Super Fours match will take place on Sunday in Dubai.

Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav and the Indian spinners star in the Group A fixture in Dubai.

Dubai, UAE – Pakistan’s long wait to beat India in a men’s cricket match continues after their Asia Cup 2025 fixture ended in a thumping seven-wicket win for the defending champions in Dubai.

Opener Abhishek Sharma took the match away from Pakistan with his belligerent innings of 31 runs off 13 balls, and captain Suryakumar Yadav followed suit with 47 runs off 37 balls as India won their second match of the tournament on Sunday.

It was the Sharma show from the first ball of India’s run chase as the young opener took apart Pakistan’s experienced pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in his first over.

Sharma, the top-ranked men’s Twenty20 (T20) batter, hit the first ball for a four and followed it up with a six over the cover fielder.

He would go on to hit another six and three more fours before falling to part-time spinner Saim Ayub.

Ayub, whose main role in the team is as an opening batter, was the sole wicket-taker for Pakistan as he also dismissed Shubman Gill for 10 (7) and Tilak Varma for a run-a-ball 31.

Despite the loss of three wickets, India never looked to be struggling in the run chase, which was sealed with a six by Suryakumar in the 16th over.

Earlier, when Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha won the toss and opted to bat first, it seemed like the right call as the Dubai pitch has slowed down in the second innings in the earlier matches.

However, Pakistan were dealt an early blow when Ayub was caught out at point off Hardik Pandya’s bowling on the first ball of the match.

One-down batter Mohammad Haris followed suit in the next over as India’s star bowler Jasprit Bumrah struck.

While Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman briefly revived Pakistan’s innings, India’s trio of spinners ensnared six wickets in 10 overs to leave Pakistan scrambling to finish their 20 overs.

It wasn’t until Afridi and leg-spin bowler Sufiyan Muqeem hit four fours and two sixes that Pakistan crossed the 100-run mark in their 19th over.

The late flourish helped Pakistan set a relatively respectable target of 128, but it was never going to be enough for a power-packed Indian batting lineup.

India walked away with two points and walked off without shaking hands with the Pakistan team, as is the norm after every cricket match between the archrivals.

Pakistan, meanwhile, were left to rue another missed opportunity.

Agha’s team play their next match against the UAE on Wednesday, while India face Oman on Friday.

Follow our live build-up, on-ground updates, score, text and photo commentary stream from the cricket match in Dubai.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A day prior to the marquee India-Pakistan cricket clash at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, it’s a tale of two teams positioned on opposite ends of the pre-match hype metre as political frenzy envelops the fixture.

As a result of the hoopla, the game of cricket has been reduced to a supporting act.

India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate faced the heat as his side’s designated news conference representative on Saturday.

The former Netherlands international cricketer was sent to tackle a barrage of questions on the tense atmosphere in the wake of the four-day conflict in May, when the South Asian archrivals came close to an all-out war.

Unlike the pre-tournament news conference, where media persons were discouraged from asking political questions, Saturday’s event was heavier on politics and lighter on cricket.

Doeschate, who has been part of the Indian coaching set-up for over a year, was asked to talk about the players’ mindset in the lead-up to the match and whether the simmering sentiments back home will affect them.

“It will play on the minds of the players, who share the compassion of the Indian public,” Doeschate said.

However, the coach urged them to “put the sentiments and emotions behind” when they step on the field.

“It’s something we have addressed in the dressing room in team meetings. We are aware of the feelings [of Indian fans], but the guys have to play for their country, so they will be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”

While the conversation occasionally turned to India’s team combination for the match and tackling a new-look Pakistani T20 side, some sections of the media kept steering it back to themes such as “using the sports field as an avenue for protest [against the opponent]” and, cynically, protecting the players from the outside noise.

However, ten Doeschate was careful in his handling of questions on the delicate theme and did not attempt to shut down the constant probing.

He revealed India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the dressing room in the lead-up to the Pakistan match.

“It’s been about being professional, not worrying about things not in our control and trying to be emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things.”

The 45-year-old former allrounder wrapped up by saying the way the Indian team plays on Sunday will “represent how the players feel about the country.”

‘Just another cricket match’

Meanwhile, Pakistan took the opposite approach to the media scrutiny by sending Saim Ayub, a very nonchalant young member of the squad, to deal with the barrage of critical and deceptively political questions.

The allrounder flat-batted the inquest into Pakistan’s inability to beat India in recent games by repeating the “past is past” mantra that every athlete knows so well.

Pakistan’s last win over India, in all formats and competitions, came in October 2021, when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided them home by 10 wickets.

The 23-year-old has never played a match against India, and when he was asked to recount his experience of being on the reserves’ bench during the India-Pakistan game at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, he simply blamed amnesia for his inability to recall his feelings from last June.

“I could have answered your question better had you asked last year,” he quipped.

Ayub, whose main role in the team is to open the batting, has seen a dip in his run-scoring form since his return from injury this year.

In his 15 T20I innings since May, Ayub has scored 40 or more runs on four occasions, only one of which came during the recent tri-nation T20 series in the UAE.

The left-handed batter dealt with the criticism of his performance with a smirk and said, “The same player can’t be expected to win the match every time.”

“The team is made up of 11 players, and we try that every player stands up on a different day. We can only try to give our best effort and hope that the result goes our way.”

When it was his turn to face questions on the hyped up match and how it could lead to on-field nerves, Ayub was happy to term it “just another cricket match”.

“It can be a big fixture for some people, but for us, it’s just another match where we must improve our performance.”

A changed-up Pakistan team led by a new captain and coach will look to change the recent trend in results against India, while their opponents will aim to not only win the contest on the pitch, but also placate a charged-up fanbase back home.

Follow our live build-up, with toss and team news, ahead of our full text commentary stream.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – When cricketers from India and Pakistan step onto the field for their Asia Cup 2025 match on Sunday, a lot more than two points will be on the line, according to cricket fans and experts.

The match at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium will be played under the cloud of lingering hostility after their intense four-day conflict in May.

While an all-out war between the two cross-border nations was prevented after an internationally brokered ceasefire, a sense of bitterness remains.

“People in India have been very angry about the match ever since this fixture was confirmed,” Kudip Lal, an Indian cricket writer, told Al Jazeera.

“They feel that it’s not right to play this match while the overall relationship between both countries is so strained,” he explained.

“It’s the worst time for an India-Pakistan match.”

‘Why play cricket in the aftermath of war?’

Lal said that fans in India see the fixture as a money-making avenue for the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), whom they blame for trying to cash in on the profit generated by these high-profile clashes.

Lal believes the BCCI, widely regarded as the most wealthy and powerful cricket board in the world, could have “easily skipped” the match.

“If the Indian government has stopped issuing visas to Pakistanis, if the diplomatic ties are suspended and Pakistanis visiting India have been sent back, then why have the cricketers been asked to play this match in the aftermath of a war?” Lal questioned.

He expressed fears of a backlash in case India lose the Group A fixture.

Whenever India and Pakistan play, emotions run high and a loss is not taken well by fans on either side of the border.

In the past decades, players’ homes have been torched, their family members have been threatened, and effigy-burning protests have been carried out on the streets.

The current political climate between India and Pakistan is worse than it has been in several decades.

Shared laughs and ‘bromance’ of the past

Despite the political deadlock between the nuclear-armed neighbours, the recent on-and-off-field exchanges between players have been fairly cheerful.

When India last played Pakistan in the Asia Cup in September 2023, the two key talking points were Virat Kohli’s utter dominance of Pakistani bowlers and the countless feel-good moments shared between both teams.

The match was played in the middle of the monsoon season in Sri Lanka, where fans cheered for both teams regardless of their allegiances and danced away their worries during the countless rain delays.

Pakistani fans were seen declaring their nation’s love for Kohli, and the festive atmosphere spilled over onto the pitch.

There were memorable player-to-player exchanges that were plucked right out of a social media manager’s dream.

Pakistan’s Shaheen Shah Afridi swapped his on-field aggression for off-field warmth as he handed India’s Jasprit Bumrah a gift hamper for his newborn son. Cue millions of retweets and shares on X and Instagram.

Social media was also flooded with reels highlighting the “bromance” between Kohli and Pakistan allrounder Shadab Khan.

This time, however, experts do not foresee similar public displays of goodwill and friendliness.

“The friendship and warmth seen in the past will not be on display because anything can be blown out of proportion by impassioned fans, and the smallest move can agitate the public,” Sami Ul Hasan, former head of the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) media and communications department, said ahead of the match.

When Pakistan beat India by 10 wickets at the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam and wicketkeeper Mohammad Rizwan were warmly embraced by Kohli, and all three shared a hearty laugh while walking off the pitch.

“We can’t expect similar scenes to unfold on Sunday,” Hasan said.

“The interpretation and optics of an overtly friendly encounter could go very wrong, and things could blow up on either side of the border.”

Mixing cricket with politics

Hasan, who has worked with cricketers and cricket officials, said the players will attempt to bat away political questions by saying they are not meant to deal with political matters.

“Sports and politics can never be separated, but athletes aren’t politicians, so they can’t be expected to act like diplomats.”

Despite the heated atmosphere and tense build-up to the fixture, some fans believe the match can still be seen as just another India-Pakistan match.

“Politics shouldn’t be mixed with cricket, which has always helped ease the tensions, so why should it be used as an avenue to propagate politics?” Asad Khan, a Pakistani fan, said.

“When you bring political agendas into cricket, it ruins the game and causes unnecessary stress for the players.”

Khan urged fans to put aside the politically and religiously motivated chants at cricket stadiums and instead enjoy a now-rare India-Pakistan match.

Given the years-long halt in bilateral cricket series between India and Pakistan, their fixtures are limited to multination tournaments.

Cricket fans are hopeful that both teams will not give in to the politically-charged atmosphere and help lighten the mood.

“The players should do their jobs as cricketers and the fans should treat it as just another game,” Ali, a Pakistan fan, said, told Al Jazeera in Dubai.

“Why must the cricketers worry about what happened on the border four months ago,” Ali

But cricket expert Lal believes otherwise.

“When the two teams enter the field on Sunday, they can’t be expected to be completely detached from the conflict. It will play on their minds.”

A hot and humid September evening in Dubai cannot be blamed solely for turning the “Ring of Fire” stadium into a cauldron.

Come Sunday, the latest chapter in a decades-long bitter rivalry will have the players and fans on the edge.

Who: Bangladesh vs Sri Lanka
What: Asia Cup T20 Group B match
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi, UAE
When: Saturday, September 13 at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT)

How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 3:30pm (11:30 GMT) in advance of our live text commentary stream.

The first crunch game of the 2025 Asia Cup comes in Group B with six-time winners Sri Lanka taking on a Bangladesh side that will very much fancy their chances in a game that is likely to go a long way to deciding the fate of the tough group.

With Afghanistan already up and running in the four-team group with their win against Hong Kong, who Bangladesh also beat in their group opener, Sri Lanka will be feeling the pressure to get on the board in their first outing.

Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at a battle between two sides hoping to lift the trophy following the September 28 final.

What is Bangladesh’s T20 form coming into the game?

A 33-ball half-century from captain Litton Das handed Bangladesh an opening win in the Asia Cup on Thursday.

Bangladesh cruised to 144-3 for a seven-wicket victory after Hong Kong, which lost to Afghanistan in its opening game, made 143-7 after being put in.

Litton made a watchful start after Parvez Hossain Emon (19) was deceived by Ayush Shukla’s slower ball and was caught at deep mid-wicket in the third over.

Hong Kong struck once more inside the powerplay when Nizakat Khan ran back from mid-off and held onto a catch over his shoulders to dismiss Tanzid Hasan, who struggled to score 14 off 18 balls with only one boundary.

But Litton and Towhid Hridoy (35 not out) ensured Hong Kong did not get a sniff to repeat its historic win against Bangladesh at the T20 World Cup in 2014.

“Very important to win the first game,” Litton said. “Last couple of series, we have played good cricket, but in the Asia Cup, a little bit of pressure comes automatically.”

Bangladesh had beaten both Pakistan and Sri Lanka 2-1 in their last two bilateral series.

What is Sri Lanka’s T20 form like?

An unbeaten 73 from Kamil Mishara led Sri Lanka to an eight-wicket victory over Zimbabwe in Harare last Sunday to seal a 2-1 win in their Twenty20 series to warm up for the Asia Cup.

Put in to bat after losing the toss, Zimbabwe made 191-8, but Sri Lanka cruised to the target with 14 balls to spare.

Mishara and Kusal Perera put on 117 runs in an unbeaten third-wicket stand as Sri Lanka completed a white-ball double, having won the preceding one-day international series against Zimbabwe 2-0.

Having scored just 35 runs in four previous T20I innings, 24-year-old Mishara made his mark with a match-winning knock, hitting three sixes and six fours from the 43 balls he faced.

“It is a privilege to win a game for my country, I just feel very good,” said Mishara.

“There was pressure, of course, but the coaching staff just told me to play my normal game. I just wanted to get into my rhythm and then played my normal game.”

On top of the 2-1 series defeat by Bangladesh, Sri Lanka lost their previous T20 series 2-1 to their hosts, New Zealand, in December and January.

What happened the last time Bangladesh played Sri Lanka?

Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets to seal their three-game T20 bilateral series earlier this year.

Having won the toss in Colombo, Sri Lanka were restricted to 132-7 with opener Pathum Nissanka top scoring with 46 off 39 balls for the hosts.

Only two other batters made it to 20, however, with Dasun Shanaka coming in at seven and hitting 35 off 25 to top up the modest total.

Shak Mahedi Hasan claimed 4-11 off his four overs for Bangladesh before Tanzid Hasan’s unbeaten 73 off 47 made short work of the chase.

What is Bangladesh’s Asia Cup record?

Bangladesh have yet to win the Asia Cup, but with each tournament that passes, the experience grows, and with it the expectation that they will soon hold aloft the trophy.

They have been runners-up on three occasions, the last being the 2018 final, when they were defeated by India by three wickets.

It was Bangladesh’s third appearance in four finals, with India also claiming victory in the 2016 final and Pakistan beating them in 2012.

What is Sri Lanka’s Asia Cup record?

Sri Lanka has claimed six Asia Cup titles already. The islanders last lifted the trophy in 2022, beating Pakistan on home soil by 23 runs in the final.

Their first victory came in the second edition, in 1986, when they also beat Pakistan.

Between 1997 and 2008, Sri Lanka won three out of four editions, and were the defeated finalists when Pakistan claimed the title in 2000.

Bangladesh and Sri Lanka team news

After their opening win, Bangladesh look set to be unchanged for the crunch second match in the group.

Janith Liyanage, meantime, was a late addition to the Sri Lanka squad for the Asia Cup. The seam bowling all-rounder’s addition to the squad means the Sri Lankans have a 17-strong group for the tournament.

Sri Lanka chopped and changed their way through the bilateral series against Zimbabwe, with Nuwanidu Fernando replaced for the final match by Kusal Perera.

Kamil Mishara was not selected for the first match of the three-game series, with the former two both playing, but played both the second and third games of the series.

Maheesh Theekshana also dropped out of the side from the second match to be replaced by Matheesha Pathirana.

Nuwan Thushara, like Theekshana, played the first match of the series, only to be replaced by Binura Fernando for the final two games.

Predicted Bangladesh lineup

Litton Das (c & w), Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Tawhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed

Predicted Sri Lanka lineup

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (w), Kamil Mishara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Charith Asalanka (c), Kamindu Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Dushan Hemantha, Dushmantha Chameera, Maheesh Theekshana, Binura Fernando

In sport, sometimes there is no better way to prepare for a fierce rivalry than watching reruns or reading summaries of previous heart-stopping encounters.

And in cricket, there is no bigger rivalry than India vs Pakistan.

The sport’s history is embellished with historic India-Pakistan clashes at every tournament and in every decade.

With the teams set to meet again in the T20 Asia Cup 2025, Al Jazeera Sport picks the three India-Pakistan Asia Cup classics you must revisit before Sunday’s encounter:

2010: Harbhajan is a last-over hero with the bat

The 2010 edition of the Asia Cup was a four-team tournament played entirely in Dambulla, Sri Lanka, where all teams played a round-robin group stage, with the top two progressing to the final.

India beat Bangladesh while Pakistan lost to Sri Lanka, making their June 19 encounter a must-win for the Shahid Afridi-led side.

Pakistan opened with a 71-run partnership between Salman Butt and Imran Farhat. A par total of 267 followed the regular fall of wickets thereafter. India’s fast-medium seamer Praveen Kumar picked up three wickets, but it was Ravindra Jadeja’s left-arm spin that kept Pakistan in check.

Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag opened the batting for India’s chase, and while Sehwag fell after an uncharacteristically slow innings, Gambhir kept going as captain MS Dhoni chipped in with a half-century.

India seemed well set before Pakistan’s spinners struck in the last third of their innings. Gambhir, Rohit Sharma, Dhoni and Jadeja fell in quick succession, leaving India reeling at 219-6 with 49 runs required off 29 balls.

Lower-order batter Suresh Raina had the responsibility to take India home alongside off-spinner Harbhajan Singh. Raina hit Ajmal for 12 off 4 before three economical overs from Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Amir.

With eight runs to defend in the final over, Amir made a near-perfect start as Raina ran a single. In a desperate attempt to get back on strike, Raina had a mix-up with Harbhajan and was run out, giving Pakistan the upper hand. India needed seven off four, with Kumar facing Amir. A double and a single brought Harbhajan back on strike for the final two balls.

Harbhajan, who had an altercation with Akhtar a few balls earlier, swung at a length delivery, clearing midwicket for a huge six. The Turbanator then turned towards Akhtar and let out a loud roar as the Indian dressing room celebrated wildly.

India were in the final and Pakistan were nearly out.

Brief scorecard

Pakistan: 267 in 49.3 overs – Salman Butt 74 (85), Kamran Akmal 51 (41); Praveen Kumar 3-53 in 10 overs.
India: 271 in 49.5 overs – Gautam Gambhir 83 (97), MS Dhoni 56 (71); Saeed Ajmal 3-56 in 10 overs.

2014: Afridi seals it with two sixes and a kiss

The round-robin format continued for the 2010 tournament in Bangladesh.

By the time India faced Pakistan, both teams had one win and one loss and needed a win to bolster their chances for a spot in the final.

Runs flowed off Rohit Sharma’s bat on a quick Mirpur outfield, and India seemed on their way to a big total despite losing Shikhar Dhawan early. Virat Kohli joined Rohit in smashing the Pakistani pacers.

While Rohit went his merry way, India were dealt a blow when Umar Gul dismissed Kohli for five. Regular wickets slowed India’s scoring rate, but they still posted 245, thanks to a late flourish by Ambati Rayudu and Jadeja.

Pakistan’s top-order, particularly Mohammad Hafeez, gave them a good start to the chase. However, it wasn’t long before India’s spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Amit Mishra forced a collapse worthy of Pakistani renown. Four batters were dismissed in the space of 42 runs.

Hafeez began the rebuild with Sohaib Maqsood in an 87-run partnership, but both were dismissed in consecutive overs, leaving Pakistan reeling at 203-6 off 45. Maqsood’s run out, in particular, was a gift for India after a huge mid-pitch mix-up with Shahid Afridi, just after Pakistan took the upper hand.

Afridi, the last recognised batter, was joined by Gul as Pakistan required 43 off 30 with four wickets standing. Every Afridi swing of his bat was met with trepidation as the all-rounder was known for attempting big shots irrespective of the match situation.

At first, he targeted Jadeja, hitting him for a four and a six in the 46th. The following over, from Bhuvneshwar Kumar, also brought two boundaries before Mohammad Shami kept Pakistan quiet in the 48th.

Kumar’s next over, with two wickets and just three runs, all but ended Pakistan’s hopes as Afridi watched on from the non-striker’s end.

The final over was handed to Ashwin, who had taken 2-31 in his nine overs thus far. The wily spinner gave India the perfect start by bowling Ajmal first up. Pakistani fans held their heads in disbelief while India’s celebrated wildly.

Junaid Khan was last in, and he played a perfect dab to pinch a single, bringing Afridi back on strike.

With nine needed off four, the stadium held its breath knowing Afridi could sway the match either way.

As Ashwin began his delivery stride, Afridi stepped back and swung hard at a short ball. The connection between was by no means ideal, but Afridi’s power cleared the ropes.

Afridi again gave himself room with the ball pitched closer to his body, but when has that ever stopped Afridi from playing a risky shot? Another wild swing skied the ball, but it again cleared the boundary.

Ashwin was all hands-on-head as the Indian team stood in disbelief.

Afridi was all arms lifted wide in his trademark star-man celebration as Junaid embraced him. A delighted Afridi gave Junaid a quick kiss on the cheek before the star all-rounder was mobbed by his teammates.

Brief scorecard

India: 245-8 in 50 overs – Rohit Sharma 56 (58), Ravindra Jadeja 52 (49); Saeed Ajmal 3-40 in 10 overs.
Pakistan: 249-9 in 49.4 overs – Mohammad Hafeez 75 (117), Shahid Afridi 34 (18); Ravichandran Ashwin 3-44 in 9.4 overs.

2016: Kohli trumps Amir in low-scoring thriller

The Asia Cup 2016 was the first played as a T20 and produced one-sided group games until India met Pakistan in the fourth match of the round-robin stage.

Pakistan lost Hafeez to the fourth ball of the match.

A poor umpiring decision, with Khurram Manzoor surviving a caught-behind, left India furious. However, Dhoni’s team didn’t have to wait too long for Manzoor’s departure as Afridi’s men continued to struggle on a low-scoring pitch, losing wickets in every other over.

In a total of 83, Sarfaraz Ahmed’s 25 was Pakistan’s only saving grace. Hardik Pandya led the attack with three wickets, but each of India’s bowlers chipped in, including a then-fresh-faced Jasprit Bumrah.

The chase was seemingly simple, given India’s power-packed batting. Mohammad Amir, playing his first Asia Cup since returning to the team following his cricket corruption-linked ban, had other plans.

The left-arm pacer made a near-perfect start, striking Rohit’s toes with a swinging yorker, only for it to be adjudged not out. There was no surviving the following inswinger, which struck the pads.

Kohli was next in to face the pumped-up Amir, swinging the ball to his will. A single switched strike with Ajinkya Rahane’s first ball ending up being his last, Amir swinging the ball back into the right-hander viciously to strike his pads plumb in front.

Amir’s second over, and India’s third, brought more lbw appeals as Kohli was struck on the pads by another skilful delivery that straightened, but failed to impress the umpire. Amir had his reward next ball, as Raina was the man to go, chipping an easy catch to short mid-on.

Kohli and Yuvraj Singh saw out Amir’s spell, nudging towards the target. Kohli, in particular, showed nerves of steel to see off Amir’s scintillating swing.

The Indian batting star soon reaped his reward, however, settling in to take boundaries off all the bowlers, including Amir’s last.

India’s charge was halted in the 15th when Kohli fell on 49, followed by Pandya, but the team total was 76-3. New batter Dhoni and Yuvraj took six more deliveries to finish the job.

India won by five wickets, but the match could have had a nervy finish were it not for Kohli’s brilliance.

Brief scorecard

Pakistan: 83 runs in 17.3 overs – Sarfaraz Ahmed 25 (24); Hardik Pandya 3-8 in 3.3 overs.
India: 85-5 runs in 15.3 overs – Virat Kohli 49 (51); Mohammad Amir 3-18 in 4 overs.

One of the fiercest and most widely followed rivalries in sport will be in the spotlight once again when India clashes with Pakistan in cricket’s T20 Asia Cup 2025.

Both teams will be riding a wave of confidence, given their recent form in T20 internationals.

Defending champions India made a winning start to their campaign with a nine-wicket thrashing of hosts United Arab Emirates (UAE) in their Group A game in Dubai.

Meanwhile, Pakistan enters the Asia Cup on the back of a tri-nation T20 series win against Afghanistan and the UAE in Sharjah.

Here’s everything you need to know about the match:

When and where is India vs Pakistan?

The Group A fixture is scheduled for Sunday and will begin at 6:30pm (14:30 GMT) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Why is Dubai hosting India vs Pakistan?

India was slated to host the tournament as per the hosting rights schedule, and while the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) remains the official host of the tournament, it is being played in the UAE due to the recent conflict between India and Pakistan.

Why doesn’t India play bilateral cricket series against Pakistan?

The Indian government has barred its athletes and teams from competing against their Pakistani counterparts in bilateral tournaments in all sports. Indian athletes are also barred from travelling to Pakistan, forcing all India-Pakistan encounters in multination sports tournaments to be hosted at a neutral venue.

Prior to the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, both countries agreed to host each other at a neutral venue during ICC events.

What’s the weather forecast for India vs Pakistan in Dubai?

September is typically a hot month in the UAE, and this year is no different.

The weather forecast for Sunday is hot and humid, with highs of 41 degrees Celsius (105 degrees Fahrenheit) and partial cloud cover.

It will get slightly cooler in the evening as the match will start just after sunset and the temperature will drop to 33 degrees Celsius (91 degrees Fahrenheit).

What happened in the last India vs Pakistan match?

The last meeting between India and Pakistan was at the same venue, Dubai, on February 23, in the group stage of the ICC Champions Trophy.

A Virat Kohli batting masterclass helped India win by six wickets on a slow Dubai pitch, where Pakistan posted 241 in 49.4 overs. It was India’s 58th win over Pakistan in one-day internationals (ODI). Pakistan have beaten India 73 times in the ODI format.

How many times has Pakistan won the Asia Cup?

Pakistan have lifted the trophy on two occasions – in 2000 and 2012 – and qualified for the final five times.

India are seven-time Asia Cup champions, with 11 appearances in the final.

How many times has India beaten Pakistan in the Asia Cup?

In their 19 clashes in the Asia Cup, India have beaten Pakistan 10 times and lost to their neighbours on six occasions. Three matches, including the group-stage match in 2023, were abandoned due to poor weather.

When was the last time Pakistan beat India?

Pakistan’s last Asia Cup win over India came in the 2022 edition in the UAE. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored with 71 runs in the Super Four clash, but it was Mohammad Nawaz’s 20-ball-41 that took Pakistan over the line in the run chase.

How many times will India play Pakistan at the Asia Cup?

While Sunday’s match is, so far, the only confirmed India vs Pakistan match at the Asia Cup, they could meet again on September 21 in a Super Fours clash, should they qualify for the second stage.

The September 28 final offers cricket fans the chance of a third India vs Pakistan match in two weeks – if both teams qualify.

India vs Pakistan: Head-to-head in T20Is

Since the inaugural ICC T20 World Cup in 2007, the countries have met in 13 T20Is. India has won 10 times, including the first match in 2007, which was tied and then decided in a Super Over.

Two of Pakistan’s three wins came in Dubai.

Players to watch: India

• Abhishek Sharma: The fact that the young top-order batter has managed to carve a spot in a highly competitive T20 Indian batting lineup is enough to mark Sharma as one to watch in the Asia Cup. The 24-year-old boasts the highest career strike rate of 193 among all batters in T20s and backs it up with two centuries and half-centuries in the format.
• Varun Chakaravarthy: The 34-year-old leg-spin bowler’s second foray into the Indian side has reaped him big rewards as he has taken 27 wickets in his last 12 T20I matches.

Players to watch: Pakistan

• Hasan Nawaz: Pakistan have often been criticised for their batters’ inability to match modern-day T20 batting strike rates, but in Nawaz, they seem to have found a solution to this problem. The 23-year-old has a strike rate of 174, with a T20 hundred and two fifties in his 16 matches.
• Sufiyan Muqeem: The left-arm wrist spinner has taken 25 wickets in his 17 T20Is since making his debut less than two years ago and has become a mainstay of the bowling lineup in limited-overs cricket.

Form guide: India

Prior to the Asia Cup, India hadn’t played a T20 match since hosting England in a five-match series in January and February.

The T20 world champions won the series 4-1 to maintain their dominance at the top of the ICC T20 men’s teams rankings.

In fact, India have only lost three of the 20 T20s they have played since winning the World Cup in June 2024.

Last five results (most recent first): W-W-W-L-W

Form guide: Pakistan

Pakistan’s form in T20s has been mixed of late, and they have won three of their five T20 series this year.

They head into the marquee clash with a series win in the bag.

Last five results (most recent first): W-W-L-W-W

Team news: India

India have been bolstered by Jasprit Bumrah’s return to the T20 side after a long injury and workload management forced layoff.

They are likely to keep the same XI that beat the UAE in the opening match.

Predicted XI: Abhishek Sharma, Shubman Gill, Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav.

Squad: Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper).

Team news: Pakistan

As is the norm in Pakistan cricket, the team has gone through a number of changes since the T20 World Cup 2024, including squad shuffling, a change of captaincy and the introduction of new coaching staff.

Since May, though, the team and captain have remained largely unchanged. Pakistan are likely to field a mix of youth and experience in their XI for Sunday’s match.

Predicted XI: Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Salman Agha (captain), Hasan Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Squad: Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Where can I buy tickets for India vs Pakistan?

A selection of seats, starting at $135 apiece for the general stand and going up to $4,550 for a two-person hospitality box, are still available on the tournament’s official ticketing website, Platinumlist, and at the stadium’s ticketing office.

How to watch, follow and stream India vs Pakistan?

Al Jazeera Sport will have a live photo and text commentary stream from 09:00 GMT on Sunday.

A number of digital streaming platforms and regional broadcasters will have live coverage of the match.

The Asia Cup cricket tournament starts on Tuesday, but for tournament organisers, sponsors and cricket fans from India and Pakistan, it won’t be before Sunday, when the two regional superpowers face each other, that the event will spring into action.

Any India vs Pakistan match is considered a marquee event, but the recent conflict between the two countries has brought extra heat to the encounter in Dubai.

After all, it will be their first meeting since the South Asian archrivals returned from the brink of an all-out war in May, when both countries clashed at their shared border before an internationally-brokered ceasefire.

It has been almost 18 years since India and Pakistan last met in a Test match – the five-day version of cricket widely regarded as the pinnacle of the sport – and almost 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series.

But between September 14 and 21, if results go the way the organisers hope for, Pakistan and India could end up playing three times.

A decades-old political rift between the two nuclear-armed countries is blamed for the frosty sporting ties, but the same differences are set aside when a regional or global cricket event comes around.

Pakistan was carved out of India in 1947, resulting in a bloody division of the subcontinent by the colonial British. Over the past 78 years, the nations have fought four wars, exchanged countless skirmishes and remained at odds primarily over the disputed Kashmir region that both claim in entirety but administer parts of.

The Asia Cup is no stranger to political influence and has faced the repercussions of strained ties between the two.

When India hosted the tournament in 1990-91 amid an uprising in India-administered Kashmir, Pakistan pulled out. The following edition, in 1993, was called off amid heightened tensions between the two sides.

But despite the strained relations on a political level and the current cricket impasse, which began in 2013, India and Pakistan have regularly faced each other at tournaments for the International Cricket Council (ICC) and for the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) Asia Cup.

‘Maximising eyeballs and revenue’

Why, then, is it impossible for both sides to separate politics from sport for bilateral exchanges if they can agree to share a cricket field potentially three times in two weeks?

“It’s all about maximising eyeballs and tournament revenue,” Sami Ul Hasan, former head of the ICC’s media and communication departments, told Al Jazeera.

“When the ICC plans a global event, organisers do not consider rankings or any other factors. It’s all about making sure India and Pakistan play against each other at least once.

“Over the last two decades, the ICC has changed the format of its tournaments multiple times in order to ensure that happens.”

The ICC has, in the past, admitted to fixing tournament draws to ensure Pakistan and India end up in the same group.

Post-tournament viewership figures confirm the high ratings for India-Pakistan matches.

According to the ICC, the India vs Pakistan fixture at the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 was one of the most-watched one-day international matches in India.

It generated over 26 billion minutes of watch time on TV, surpassing the India-Pakistan match from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, which had recorded 19.5 billion viewing minutes.

Tournament organisers, such as the ICC and the ACC, typically sell broadcasting rights and sponsorships to the highest bidders.

The ICC and ACC distribute the revenue generated at these tournaments amongst their member nations, who stand to benefit from a higher number of India-Pakistan matches as well.

According to Hasan, the first question posed by broadcasters and sponsors is on India-Pakistan matches.

“It’s tricky to pull off multiple India-Pakistan games at global events, but easier to achieve this outcome in smaller tournaments such as the Asia Cup,” he said.

“Even at the Asia Cup, the most they’ve got so far is two matches per tournament. They have been trying for a third [in the final] but it hasn’t materialised yet.”

In the tournament’s 16 iterations since its inception in 1984, India and Pakistan have never met in a final.

‘Don’t care about India vs Pakistan’

Although India versus Pakistan is always the biggest draw at any cricket tournament, fans from other participating nations are not bothered by the lack of attention and respect shown to their teams.

“I only care about Sri Lanka and not about what happens in an India-Pakistan match as long as Sri Lanka walks away with the cup,” Mohammad Akram, a Sri Lankan, said.

“For us, it’s about our team and the same goes for fans of Afghanistan, Bangladesh and other countries.

“Sri Lanka has always been sidelined. It has always been about India and Pakistan, but we don’t mind because our team has played the most finals.”

Sri Lanka are the second most successful team in the Asia Cup and have qualified for a record 13 finals, lifting the trophy six times. Another win in the final would tie them with the reigning champions India.

Bending the rules

The focus on this rivalry can sometimes lead to unprecedented decision-making and bending of the rules.

At the last Asia Cup held in Sri Lanka two years ago, the India-Pakistan group-stage game was abandoned due to rain. As both teams reached the next round, and with more rain expected, organisers set aside a reserve day to their Super Four fixture, the only match in that round to benefit from the allocation.

That decision was taken in the middle of the tournament, raising eyebrows and attracting criticism from cricket experts and fans of other participating countries.

“Rules must not be bent for anyone. What happened then did not set a good example for the game,” Hasan said. “Playing conditions and rules are signed off prior to the tournament and are not tinkered with.

“Changing them to accommodate certain fixtures gives out a message that everything is about money and commercialisation of that single fixture.”

India’s sporting ambitions

Despite the ongoing political rift between India and Pakistan, both sets of cricket boards and governments have given these fixtures a green light.

In August, India announced a new sports policy whereby its teams and athletes will not be allowed to engage in bilateral sports events with Pakistan, but can face them in international tournaments.

It also prohibited Indian athletes from travelling to Pakistan and refused to host teams and individuals from Pakistan.

The move, according to former ICC official Hasan, is to ensure that India’s ambitions of bidding for the 2036 Olympics and the 2030 Commonwealth Games are not affected.

“For India to say it doesn’t want to play against Pakistan due to political reasons would weaken its case as a potential global sporting hub,” he said.

IAN BOTHAM’S glamorous granddaughter delighted fans with her latest Instagram post.

Imani-Jayne, 24, has English cricket royalty for a grandad.

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And she has begun to build a fanbase of her own, boasting more than 8,000 followers on Instagram.

In her latest post, Imani-Jayne showcased a stunning blue dress.

Giving a shout out to where she got her outfit, she tagged Stonnington Hire.

Imani-Jayne’s post received several gushing comments.

One fan wrote: “You’ve outdone yourself here!!”

While a second called her “absolutely stunning”.

A third swooned: “Wow absolutely beautiful.”

And another added: “Wowza.”

Imani-Jayne is a former Miss Yorkshire and has competed for Miss England.

The Yorkshire lass has enjoyed some brilliant holidays of late.

Last month she visited Mallorca.

And more recently Imani-Jayne headed to Portugal.

See more of Imani-Jayne’s glamorous life below…

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ENGLAND will have their ODI clash against South Africa HALTED mid-match.

Harry Brook and Co are in action on Sunday, September 7 at the Utilita Bowl in the final game of the series.

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South Africa won the opening contest with a seven-wicket victory after bowling England out for just 131 after 24.3 overs.

And in the second match, South Africa beat England by five runs to win the ODI series.

The third and final game is a dead rubber, but it will see a delay to action due to an emergency alert test on everybody’s phones.

Why will England vs South Africa be delayed?

The government are planning to send a loud siren to mobiles and tablets across the nation on Sunday at 3pm.

But do not panic, as the emergency alert you will see and hear will only be a test.

It will come through even if your phone is on silent.

The alarm will go off for around ten seconds.

The plan is for the cricket to be paused at 3pm to ensure it does not distract the players.

What have the English Cricket Board said?

An ECB spokesperson said: “Plans are in place to ensure fans attending the Utilita Bowl on Sunday are aware of the national test of the emergency alerts system, which is due to take place during the third England Men’s Metro Bank ODI vs South Africa.

“We will work with match officials ahead of the game and take appropriate action depending on the state of the game.

“Fans will be kept updated with in-stadia announcements as the game progresses.”

Why is the alert test happening?

The government are testing the system as they believe it “serves a crucial purpose in keeping the public safe”.

It is used in extreme circumstances when to warn people of a danger to life.

You may remember when it was tested before on April 23, 2023.

Since the initial test, FIVE real alerts during major storms have been sent to those needed.

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The top men’s cricket teams in Asia will come together after two years to compete in the Asian Cricket Council’s (ACC) T20 Asia Cup 2025 from Tuesday.

Several new captains will be leading their charges with world T20 champions and Asia Cup holders India to be led by Suryakumar Yadav, while Charith Asalanka will be at the helm of 2023 runners-up Sri Lanka.

Here’s what you need to know about the teams and their full squads for the tournament:

Which teams are playing in the Asia Cup 2025?

In addition to the five permanent members of the ACC – India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan – three other teams have qualified for the 2025 edition: Hong Kong, Oman, and the United Arab Emirates. They are divided into two groups of four each:

Group A: India, Pakistan, Oman, UAE
Group B: Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, Hong Kong

Will Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma play in the Asia Cup 2025?

No. The two former India captains announced their retirements after leading their team to their second T20 World Cup title in the West Indies in 2024. It was Kohli’s first T20 world title, while Rohit lifted the trophy for the second time, having been part of India’s triumphant side at the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007 in South Africa.

Suryakumar took over the T20 captaincy reins from Rohit in August 2024, while the likes of Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill have replaced both top-order batters.

Who is Pakistan’s captain at Asia Cup 2025?

The revolving-door nature of Pakistan cricket means the captain’s hat changes hands – or heads – fairly quickly.

Batting star Babar Azam had the role given and taken from him twice in the space of 11 months in 2023-24, while Mohammad Rizwan held the role for five months.

The incumbent, Salman Ali Agha, took over in March and has since led Pakistan to two series wins and one series loss.

He will continue in the leadership role at the Asia Cup.

Will Wanindu Hasaranga play in the Asia Cup 2025?

Yes, the Sri Lankan leg-spin bowling all-rounder has been declared fit for the tournament following his recovery from a hamstring injury. The 28-year-old missed out on the 2023 edition at home and will be keen to make an impact as Sri Lanka seek a seventh Asia Cup title.

𝐀 𝐧𝐞𝐰 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐆𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧 🇵🇰

A fresh-looking squad gears up for the #ACCMensAsiaCup2025 – with all eyes on Salman Ali Agha, who takes the reins as skipper in his first major tournament 👊#ACC pic.twitter.com/UGvL8aFOis

— AsianCricketCouncil (@ACCMedia1) August 17, 2025

What are the full squads of all Asia Cup 2025 teams?

Afghanistan

Rashid Khan (captain), Rahmanullah Gurbaz (wicketkeeper), Ibrahim Zadran, Darwish Rasooli, Sediqullah Atal, Azmatullah Omarzai, Karim Janat, Mohammad Nabi, Gulbadin Naib, Sharafuddin Ashraf, Mohammad Ishaq, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, AM Ghazanfar, Noor Ahmad, Fareed Ahmad, Naveen-ul-Haq, Fazalhaq Farooqi.

Bangladesh

Litton Das (captain, wicketkeeper), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Towhid Hridoy, Jaker Ali, Shamim Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan, Taskin Ahmed, Shoriful Islam, Mohammad Saifuddin.

Hong Kong

Yasim Murtaza (captain), Babar Hayat, Zeeshan Ali (wicketkeeper), Nizakat Khan Mohammad, Nasrulla Rana, Martin Coetzee, Anshuman Rath, Kalhan Marc Challu, Ayush Ashish Shukla, Mohammad Aizaz Khan, Ateeq ul Rehman Iqbal, Kinchit Shah (wicketkeeper), Adil Mehmood, Haroon Arshad Mohammad, Ali Hassan, Shahid Wasif (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Ghazanfar, Mohammad Waheed, Anas Khan, Ehsan Khan.

India

Suryakumar Yadav (captain), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Shivam Dube , Axar Patel, Jitesh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Jasprit Bumrah, Varun Chakravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana, Rinku Singh, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper).

Oman

Jatinder Singh (captain), Hammad Mirza (wicketkeeper), Vinayak Shukla (wicketkeeper), Sufyan Yousuf, Ashish Odedara, Aamir Kaleem, Mohammed Nadeem, Sufyan Mehmood, Aryan Bisht, Karan Sonavale, Zikriya Islam, Hassnain Shah, Faisal Shah, Muhammed Imran, Nadeem Khan, Shakeel Ahmed, Samay Shrivastava.

Pakistan

Salman Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Wasim, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Salman Mirza, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem.

Sri Lanka

Charith Asalanka (captain), Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wicketkeeper), Kusal Perera (wicketkeeper), Nuwanidu Fernando, Kamindu Mendis, Kamil Mishara, Dasun Shanaka, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Binura Fernando, Nuwan Thushara, Matheesha Pathirana.

United Arab Emirates

Muhammad Waseem (capt), Alishan Sharafu, Aryansh Sharma (wicketkeeper), Asif Khan, Dhruv Parashar, Ethan D’Souza, Haider Ali, Harshit Kaushik, Junaid Siddique, Matiullah Khan, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Zohaib, Rahul Chopra (wicketkeeper), Rohid Khan, Simranjeet Singh and Saghir Khan.