Following Pakistan's defeat against India in the Super Four match of the Asia Cup 2025, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has expressed his disappointment, stating it's "tough to see" the team's performance. India defeated Pakistan by six wickets with seven balls to spare. This marks Pakistan's seventh straight defeat against their arch-rivals.
Akram voiced his sentiments during a post-match show, "I am going to speak my heart out. It is tough to watch Pakistan. I understand as an ex-player winning and losing that part of the game. But again India has outplayed Pakistan in every department over the last four or five years. Once or twice, we have won here and there, but it has been incredible from India. The talent, the depth, everything".
He further added that failing to reach a competitive score after a strong start is simply unacceptable. "One or two catches can be dropped in any game, that is fine. But from 91 in the first 10 overs, when we fail to reach 200, there is nothing to say," Akram said.
The match saw India winning the toss and opting to field first. Pakistan's opening pair, Sahibzada Farhan and Fakhar Zaman, started strongly, a change from their previous pairings in the tournament. However, despite a promising start where they reached 91 runs in the first 10 overs, they couldn't capitalize and were bowled out for 171. In response, India chased down the target in 18.5 overs, with Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill setting the foundation with a century partnership. Sharma was named Player of the Match for his impressive innings of 74 runs off 39 balls.
Akram had previously criticized the Pakistan batsmen for their performance against India in their earlier encounter in the Asia Cup, where they struggled to read Kuldeep Yadav's bowling. He also highlighted the number of dot balls played by Pakistan's batsmen, which he felt put undue pressure on the team.
Before the Super Four clash, Akram advised Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi to vary his bowling lengths, especially against the Indian batsmen. He suggested Afridi should not rely solely on yorkers but mix it up with good length deliveries to surprise the batsmen.
Pakistan's captain, Salman Agha, acknowledged that his team is yet to play a perfect game and felt they could have added a few more runs to their total. He also mentioned that the changes in the batting order are aimed at having the right players in the right positions, based on the game situation.
With this defeat, Pakistan's chances of reaching the Asia Cup final have become more difficult. They will need to regroup and address their shortcomings if they hope to bounce back in the tournament.
