Pakistan vs Sri Lanka, Asia Cup 2025 Super 4 Highlights: PAK beat SL by 5 wickets

Hussain Talat has taken on Sri Lanka's best and come out on top! Hasaranga started with a half-tracker on leg stump which sat up nicely for Talat, he sends past deep midwicket for four. Then two runs off the second ball and then Hasaranga floats a half volley outside off. Talat smashes that over extra cover for another four. Two singles follow and Pakistan now need 14 to win off 18 balls.

It has been 16 balls since Pakistan have hit a boundary and their required rate has now crept past their current rate for the first time in this match. Still, Pakistan would hope that this doesn't lead to the batters going to panic stations. They need 47 to win from 42, which can be knocked off with some calm batting. Mohammad Nawaz is on two off six, Hussain Talat on 17 off 18.

Meanwhile, Wanindu Hasaranga is returning to bowl his third over. This is going to be a big moment.

Pakistan 87/5 in 13 overs

Well, well, well, Pakistan are on slightly shaky ground here. Their run rate is well above the required rate, they need only 63 to win from 60 balls, but almost every single delivery seems a threatening one at the moment. Mohammad Haris is on six off six, Hussain Talat at the other end on 11 off 11.

Pakistan 71/4 in 10 overs

And once again, he does that Abrar Ahmed celebration, as a send off for Saim Ayub, whose nightmarish form continues in this over. Tosses up this googly fourth ball of the seventh over. Ayub hasn't read that at all, plays for the leg break, beaten on his outside edge and his off stump is rattled.

Saim Ayub b Hasaranga 2 (3)

PAK 50/3 in 6.4 overs

Sahibzada Farhan hits it straight at mid off and Sri Lanka strike in the last over of the powerplay! Full delivery outside off, Farhan tries to go downtown but shanks it. Kamindu Mendis was stood right at the ring at mid off and he takes it in front of his face.

Farhan c Mendis b Theekshana 24 (15)

Pakistan 45/1 in 5.3 overs

Well the ball is doing hoops at the moment and Chameera put in some proper pace fire in that second over. The third ball was a brute of a short delivery, jumping up on middle and off. Fakhar was late to the pull, the delivery clocked well over 146kph, and the ball hits him flush on the helmet. It then lobbed up towards extra cover who dove and caught it! Sri Lanka appealed, umpires sent it upstairs but there was no edge. Fakhar seems to be in some pain as the concussion check is done and the helmet is changed He hit a four to end that over but then does look in some discomfort before the start of the third by Thushara.

Pakistan 8/0 in 2 overs

All right then, Sahibzada Farhan is on strike, Fakhar Zaman is at the other end. Nuwan Thushara to bowl the first over for Sri Lanka. Pakistan need 134 to win.

That's wicket No 3 for Afridi! This was an incredible yorker on middle and leg, Mendis falls over trying to dig it out. The umpire shakes his head but Agha takes the review. No bat involved and ball tracking shows the leg stump taking a battering.

Well, whether this innings worked wonders for SL or had the opposite effect really depends on how Pakistan do in the chase.

Mendis lbw b Shaheen Shah Afridi 50 (44)

SL 123/7 in 18.4 overs

And well, almost another wicket as well. Sri Lanka are yet to reach triple digits and we are going into the last five overs of the innings. Abrar Ahmed keeps Chamika Karunaratne pinned to the spot after Mendis takes a single first ball. There was a big appeal for a catch at slip off the fifth ball which the umpire said no to. Agha went for the review and well. Turns out it had only gone off Karunaratne's elbow. An LBW check also gives nothing and so Pakistan lose that review.

Sri Lanka crawling along at seven runs an over but they now desperately need these two batters to stay in the middle as long as possible. Kamindu Mendis and Wanindu Hasaranga are more than capable of turning the game around with their bats but Pakistan at the moment have this game in their pockets.

Abrar Ahmed to bowl after the drinks break.

Sri Lanka in the doldrums now. Back of a length delivery outside off, Shanaka takes a jab at it and he gets a faint edge to the wicketkeeper. Sri Lanka have lost half their squad for just 58 runs!

Shanaka c Haris b Hussain Talat 0 (1)

SL 58/5 in 7.3 overs

Rauf started his first over of the match over the wicket and was greeted by Perera with a slap shot over mid off for four. Rauf switches to over the wicket second ball, ges it to angle into middle and off. Perera looks to flick it over mid-on, ends up putting down the throat of the fielder there.

Perera c Faheem Ashraf b Haris Rauf 15 (12)

Sri Lanka 43/3 in 5.2 overs

Both Sri Lankan openers fall to Afridi off the second balls of his first and second overs. Nissanka had smashed the first ball right back over the bowler's head for a six. The second one sent in on a hard length outside off, Nissanka takes a big swipe at it and ends up nicking to wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris.

Nissanka c Mohammad Haris b Shaheen Shah Afridi 8 (7)

Sri Lanka 12/2 in 2.2 overs

Kusal Mendis gone for a golden duck! How about this for a start for Pakistan! Afridi goes fullish on the pads, Mendis tries that pick up flick shot but neither can he keep it down nor can he get it high enough. It goes straight into the hands of the fielder at short mid-on.

Mendis c Hussain Talat b Shaheen Shah Afridi 0 (1)

Sri Lanka 1/1 in 0.2 overs

Pakistan: Sahibzada Farhan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Nawaz, Salman Agha (capt.), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Haris (wk), Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed

Sri Lanka: Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis (wk), Kusal Perera, Charith Asalanka (capt), Dasun Shanaka, Kamindu Mendis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Thushara

Was unfortunately one in which cricket became a bit of an afterthought. Arguably the most acrimonious India-Pakistan cricket match ever, Sunday’s Asia Cup Super 4 league game at Dubai wasn’t quite ‘war minus the shooting’ as the late American writer Mike Marqusee famously described such contests between the arch rivals. The match witnessed an unending war of words, along with some imaginary shooting. Read more from Sandip G here.

Pathum Nissanka, Kusal Mendis(w), 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

Pakistan and Sri Lanka both played two very different kind of matches to start off their 2025 Asia Cup Super Four campaigns. And yet, remarkably, from a purely cricket perspective, the net result is the same for them - they lost their opening game of this stage and so they need to win today to make sure they don't have to depend on any other team's results to make it to the final.