Pakistan Vs Bangladesh, Asia Cup 2025 Super Four: PAK To Face India In Final After Bowlers Shine – Data Debrief

Pakistan will meet India in Sunday's Asia Cup final after their bowlers tore through Bangladesh to seal a dramatic 11-run victory in the Super Fours on Thursday.

With both teams approaching Thursday's match with one win and one loss under their belts in the Super Four stage, it was a virtual shoot-out to see who will finish second to India.

And after Pakistan managed just 135-8 in their innings, scoring a mere five sixes throughout 20 overs, it looked like that team would be Bangladesh.

Taskin Ahmed captured figures of 3-28 while Mahedi Hasan and Rishad Hossain took two wickets apiece as Pakistan struggled from the off with the bat. 

They slipped to 33-4, with Bangladesh's breakthrough coming when Taskin captured his 100th T20I wicket by having Sahibzada Farhan caught for four.

Pakistan were 71-6 when captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (19) looped an ill-advised shot through the Dubai sky and into the hands of Jaker Ali, though the lower-middle order of Mohammad Haris (31) and Mohammad Nawaz (25) dragged them to their final target.

On a worn pitch, that score proved 11 runs too high for Bangladesh, who were behind Pakistan's pace when they fell to 29-3, with Saim Ayub taking the wickets of Towhid Hridoy (five) and Saif Hassan (18).

Ayub's returns would ultimately be bettered by Afridi (3-17) and Haris Rauf (3-33), with Shamim Hossain (30) the only Bangladesh player to even manage 20 runs.

Shamim fell in the 17th over, though two boundaries from Rishad ensured Bangladesh were still alive with two balls remaining, albeit needing two sixes. That proved beyond them, with Rauf bowling a pair of dot balls to clinch Pakistan's place in the final.

Data Debrief: Long wait over for India and Pakistan

India and Pakistan will now face off in the Asia Cup final for the very first time, while it will be the third straight weekend they have squared off. India beat Pakistan by seven wickets in the group stage, then by six wickets in the Super Fours.

For Bangladesh, the only solace was a landmark achievement for Taskin, who is just the third player in their history to take 100 T20I wickets (now 102), after Mustafizur Rahman (151) and Shakib Al Hasan (149).