Pakistan’s success in qualifying for the Super Four in the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup 2025 could have been foreseen, but how they did it could not be called average. On Wednesday at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, bowlers were not the only ones who made headlines; neither the top order nor left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi left everyone flabbergasted with the bat.
Batting first against the United Arab Emirates, then the first batters of Pakistan, Fakhar Zaman, fluent in 50, started the game well. However, the innings went awry after he was fired in the 14th over. Since 110/4, the Men in Green crashed down to 110/7 within two overs only; thus, fans feared another failure of the batting in a high-stakes game.
At this point, Shaheen Afridi entered the scene and changed the script. The tall left-armer was a deadly new-ball bowler, whose authority was as that of a top-order batter. His undefeated 29 with only 14 hits with two sixes and three boundaries, gave Pakistan a fighting 146/9. More significantly, it turned the tide back in favour of Pakistan when it was crucial.
When Captain Salman Ali Agha asked Shaheen to comment on his bowler’s surprise bowling, he replied that he had played so much better with the bat and was giving Pakistan an added advantage in critical matches. Cricket pundits reflected this, saying that his batting would provide a new twist to the squad’s balance towards the Super Four stage.
Pakistan appeared much more relaxed with the ball. Shaheen reverted to his main job with his usual vitriol, and youngster Saim Ayub came in at the right time to ensure the UAE were limited to 41 short of the mark.
Captain Salman Role:
Although the win was made, Salman acknowledged that the collapse in the middle order was still of concern, but the counterattack by Shaheen gave them the silver lining. Salman said, we still have to work on our batting in the mid overs. But Shaheen demonstrated that he can save us when we require it.
With Pakistan ready to meet more challenging resistance in the Super Four, the fact that Shaheen is already emerging as a steady lower-order striker could be the surprise twist to this Asia Cup battle. It used to be perceived as a weakness of Pakistan, their batting depth could now be their secret power.
