Doha, November 16, 2025: Pakistan Shaheens won the toss and elected to bowl first against India ‘A’ in the sixth match of the ACC Men’s Asia Cup Rising Stars 2025 at the West End Park International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.
The two sides last met in 2024 at the ACC Men’s T20 Emerging Asia Cup in Oman, where India emerged victorious in a closely fought contest. Batting first on that occasion, India posted 183-8 in 20 overs, with captain Tilak Varma leading from the front with 44 off 35 balls. Openers Abhishek Sharma (35 off 22) and Prabhsimran Singh (36 off 19) provided a strong platform with aggressive starts.
Pakistan’s bowling effort was spearheaded by Sufiyan Muqeem, who picked up two wickets, while Mohammad Imran, Zaman Khan, Arafat Minhas, and Qasim Akram claimed a wicket apiece.
Chasing 184, Pakistan fell agonisingly short, finishing at 176-7 in their 20 overs. Arafat Minhas top-scored with a fighting 41 off 29 balls, including five fours and a six. Yasir Khan (33), Qasim Akram (27), and Abdul Samad (25) contributed crucial runs but could not take Pakistan over the line. India’s bowling attack was led by Anshul Kamboj, who took 3 wickets, while Rasikh Salam and Nishant Sindhu bagged two each.
Both Pakistan Shaheens and India ‘A’ enter today’s fixture on the back of opening-match victories, setting the stage for what is expected to be a high-intensity battle between the arch-rivals as they aim to continue their winning momentum in the tournament.
