TEAM India won the T20I Asia Cup 2025 beat Pakistan with five counters last week. The final was Pakistan’s third match against the tournament India and in the three games, India remained victorious.
The titles of the Ninth Asian Cup for India were most for any team. The 2025 edition is the second title of the Asian Cup of India in T20 format, after their previous victory in 2016. They have seven titles in ODI format – 1984, 1988, 1990, 1995, 2010, 2018 and 2023. Sri Lanka won six titles (five ODI and a T20) at the Asia Cup, while Pakistan won two (two ODI).
Team India won the nine games against Pakistan as they hunted the goal in T20is.
These are the most matches for a team with a 100% hunting record against an opponent.
The India’s prosecution in 172 points in the first Super Four match in Dubai was the highest of their eight successful strokes against Pakistan.
In the same match, Abhishek Sharma Fifty’s 24 ball was the fastest for an Indian drummer against green shirts. Fifty Fifty’s previous record was owned by Yuvraj Singh, Fifty in 2012 in Ahmedabad.
The 105 Abhishek and Shubman Gill points were the highest opening stand for India against Pakistan in male T20is. Only once before, India had a century for any window against Pakistan – 113 between Virat Kohli and Hardik Pandya at MCG in 2022.
By analyzing Pakistan’s performance in the Asian Cup, a glance at the score cards suggests a largely successful campaign, the team winning all matches except against India.
However, a more in-depth inspection reveals underlying problems that hinder constant success.
Green shirts have struggled to provide convincing victories, highlighting continuous problems with their stability of the average order.
Throughout the tournament, the range of Pakistan strikers was in the grip of inconsistency. Key contributors such as Salman Agha, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat and Khushdil Shah failed to offer impactful performances. The accent put by head coach Mike Hesson on the strike rate turned out to be ineffective, because the players seemed to prioritize the borders from the start rather than turning the shot, causing counters that fall under pressure.
The complexity of Captain Salman Ali Agha for Cricket T20 has been widely questioned, many experts believing that his forces are in the ODIs and test matches. His performance in the Asian Cup confirmed these doubts; More than seven matches, he scored only 37 points, with a high score of 20 and an average of the stick of 5.29. His strike rate of 97.36 was disappointing, questioning his role as a coherent interpreter.
As a captain, Salman faced criticism for his decisions by order of striker and his bowling alley. Although it is included as a versatile, he rarely played during the tournament.
In particular, in the death of the final, he handed the ball to Haris Rauf, which was hit for 17 points by Tilak Varma, allowing India to accelerate their pursuit.
Mohammad Nawaz, the most successful bowling player in the tournament, was underused, the bowling alley only once in seven games and conceding only six points. Saim Ayub also did not succeed in finishing his quota of four overs, indicating a strategic lack of use of the quenches. Haris Rauf, who took nine counters at an average of 18.33, faced intense criticisms for his expensive fate in the final against India, where he conceded 50 points in just 3.4 overs during a crucial prosecution phase.
The selection of Saim Ayub as a opener aroused an important debate; However, its performance was disappointing. During seven matches, he scored only 37 points, with four ducks and a highest score of 20. His difficulties against quality quakers, in particular with the cut, were obvious, and he failed to adapt to the opening and lower order positions. Despite its striker, its bowling-eight counters to an average of 16 and an economy rate of 6.4 kept in the team.
Pakistan’s striker was limited to only four-fifty-two by Sahibzada Farhan, one from Fakhar Zaman and Mohammad Haris. Sahibzada Farhan was the team’s show, accumulating 217 points at an average of 31 years, ranking third at the highest in the tournament. However, its strike rate of 116 has lagged behind the openers of other nations, such as the Abhishek Sharma of India and the Sri Lanka P Nissanka.
Since the retirement of legends like Inzamam-Ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, Pakistan has had trouble finding the stability of the average order. The incapacity of the team to assume responsibility during central and crucial deaths remains an important concern. While Pakistan looks towards the future, tackling these striking and strategic deficiencies will be essential to regain coherence at the international level.
The Pakistan bowling unit deserves praise for their exceptional performance throughout the Asian Cup. They have always accessed on occasion, often winning matches with their disciplined bowling efforts. They notably defended a small total of 136 against Bangladesh in what was actually a semi-final, and almost interrupted the formidable range of strikers from India with a target of 146 points.
Shaheen Shah Afridi led the Bowling attack, claiming 10 counters for an impressive average of 16.4 and an economic rate of 6.6. His performance made him the second highest hopper in the tournament, just behind the Indian spinner Kuldeep Yadav, who took 17 counters.
Meanwhile, the main spinner in Pakistan, Abrar Ahmed, who was to lead the spin department, did not fully meet expectations. Despite the maintenance of an economic rate of 5.36, he only managed six counters on seven games, highlighting an immediate lack of impact.
Traditionally, Pakistan’s bowling alley is considered stronger than its striker, and this tournament has reaffirmed that the concept as a fertilizer, few fast what have always delivered as real ticket offices. In the spin department, dependence on Abrar Ahmed remains important, but the contributions of other spinners have been at best sporadic.
In addition, despite playing mainly on land adapted to the national level, Pakistani drummers continue to combat quality international spinners. Their difficulty in countering querors like Kuldeep Yadav and Varun Chakravarthy on the track tracks underline the concerns concerning their preparation and their adaptability in foreign conditions.
Tackling these weaknesses will be vital for the future success of Pakistan in international cricket.
The problem requires urgent attention to management. Since the retirement of Saeed Ajmal, Pakistan has failed to produce a world -class spinner. Abrar Ahmed carrying the burden between formats, other options such as Sajid Khan and Noman Ali were unable to obtain permanent places in the national team.
One of the main reasons is the difference in domestic structures. The interior system of Pakistan, although improved after restructuring, still does not have financial strength, professionalism and global exhibition. Young Pakistani drummers are rarely faced with a bowling alley of international quality until they are commissioned national, leaving them under-prepare.
Even these players play exceptionally well in the Super League Pakistan (PSL), when they came to the national team, played very ordinary. The inability to cross the 200 -point mark in a T20i round since the T20 2022 World Cup has raised serious concerns about the team’s strike capabilities.
On the other hand, the Ranji Trophy of India and the Premier Indian League (IPL) exhibit young drummers with high pressure situations against world class quieurs at the start of their careers. IPL, in particular, has shaped intrepid drummers such as Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, Suryakumar Yadav, Tilak Varma and Varun Chakravarthy.
Another factor is technical grooming, the drummers of the other best teams learn to play with a straight bat, to run the shot and to build sleeves before changing speed. Pakistani drummers, on the other hand, try to hit each ball hard, often count on a natural touch rather than a structured technique.
The absence of long -term hooking coaches and frequent chopping and the change in game confidence XI.
Pakistani players should start aggressively, average stable partnerships and powerful finishes while the current strategy of current players in Pakistan begins with prudent beginnings, progressive acceleration and seeking better conclusions in which they generally do not manage to achieve their desired objective.
Green shirts should be able to play 360 strokes and are ahead in terms of awareness of the game. The lack of power strikers in the national team is a blatant weakness of modern game.
To solve this problem, Pakistan must adopt the changing cricket dynamic, invest in coaching infrastructure for the strike of power and provide young cricket players with confidence and opportunities to develop their power skills. It is only then that Pakistan can hope to compete on an equal footing with other cricket nations.
Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, are our powerbags but
They are not consistent. Above all, they quickly mark 15-20 points but fail to convert these scores into large sleeves.
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