Pakistan, led by Salman Agha, kicked off their Asia Cup 2025 campaign with a dominant win over Oman. Following the victory, skipper Agha sent out a bold message to arch-rivals India, stating that his side has the strength to defeat any team in the tournament.
Asia Cup 2025: The Men in Green registered a commanding 93-run triumph at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Friday, September 12. Batting first, Pakistan posted 160/7, thanks to a fine half-century from Mohammad Haris (66), while Fakhar Zaman (23* off 15) and Mohammad Nawaz (19) added valuable runs in the closing stages.
In reply, Oman faltered under relentless pressure, collapsing to just 67 runs. Pakistan’s bowlers were clinical—Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Faheem Ashraf picked up two wickets apiece, while Shaheen Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Nawaz chipped in with one each to seal a resounding win.
Asia Cup 2025: “We’re strong enough to beat any side”: Salman Agha
Asia Cup 2025: “We’ve been playing really good cricket over the last two or three months, and I’ve said this repeatedly. We just won a tri-nation series and secured a convincing win here as well,” Salman noted.
He added, “As long as we stick to our plans and execute them consistently, I believe we’re strong enough to beat any team.”
Asia Cup 2025: Meanwhile, a high-voltage India vs Pakistan clash is set for Sunday, September 14, in Dubai. Both teams are grouped with Oman and the UAE in Group A.
In their opening match, India, led by Suryakumar Yadav, crushed the UAE by nine wickets. After bowling the hosts out for just 5 ,Asia Cup India chased down the target in only 4.3 overs — their biggest T20I win in terms of balls to spare.
