Pakistan bowl first in must-win Asia Cup Super 4 vs Sri Lanka

Pakistan won the toss and elected to field against Sri Lanka in their second Super Four fixture of the Asia Cup 2025 at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday. Stand-in captain Salman Agha confirmed there were no changes to Pakistan’s playing XI, saying the plan was to restrict Sri Lanka to a chaseable total. The game is pivotal for both sides after defeats in their opening Super Four matches, leaving little margin for error in the push for a place in the final.

Sri Lanka responded to their earlier loss by making two changes to their lineup. Pakistan, meanwhile, backed the same combination, keeping faith in the batting order and pace attack that featured in Dubai. The match carries added weight given the tight Super Four table and the heavy influence of net run rate (NRR) on qualification scenarios.

Squads: Pakistan — Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Salman Agha (c), Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Salman Mirza, Sufiyan Muqeem, Khushdil Shah, Hasan Nawaz. Sri Lanka — Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kamil Mishara, Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (c), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dunith Wellalage, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara, Nuwanidu Fernando, Binura Fernando, Chamika Karunaratne, Janith Liyanage, Matheesha Pathirana, Maheesh Theekshana.

Qualification picture: If India win all three remaining games and Pakistan beat only Bangladesh while losing to Sri Lanka, the three other teams would finish with one win each and NRR would decide the second finalist alongside India. If Pakistan beat both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, India defeat Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh upset India, Pakistan, India and Bangladesh would all end on two wins each, again pushing the race to NRR. If both Pakistan and India win their remaining fixtures, they will qualify directly for the final on September 26, with India likely topping the table.

Pakistan’s path became complicated after a six-wicket defeat to India in Dubai, despite setting 171–5; India chased the target in 18.5 overs as Abhishek Sharma (74 off 39) and Shubman Gill (47 off 28) boosted India’s NRR significantly.