Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan, Sri Lanka Square Off in Must-Win Clash
By Parth Dhall | September 22, 2025 | 07:11 PM IST
Pakistan and Sri Lanka are set to face each other in Match 3 of the 2025 Men’s T20 Asia Cup Super 4. The high-stakes encounter will take place at Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Stadium on Tuesday, September 23.
Both teams enter this game under pressure, having lost their opening Super 4 matches—Sri Lanka to Bangladesh and Pakistan to India. With only the top two teams from the Super 4 stage advancing to the final, a defeat for either side could significantly damage their chances of lifting the trophy.
Match Details
Venue: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Date & Time: Tuesday, September 23, 8:00 PM IST
Broadcast: Live on Sony Sports Network (India)
Streaming: Available on SonyLIV app and website
Pitch Report
The Sheikh Zayed Stadium pitch is expected to support seam bowlers early on, as witnessed in the recent India-Oman match. As the game progresses, spinners are likely to play a crucial role due to the dry surface. According to Cricbuzz, the average first-innings score in T20 internationals at this venue is around 140 runs.
Teams’ Recent Form and Tournament Outlook
Sri Lanka had enjoyed a strong run during the group stage, chasing down targets successfully in all their matches. However, their momentum was halted by a narrow defeat to Bangladesh in the Super 4 opener. Similarly, Pakistan’s campaign suffered an early blow after a six-wicket loss to India, following two wins out of three group-stage games.
With only two teams advancing to the final, both Pakistan and Sri Lanka cannot afford to lose this crucial encounter if they hope to continue their Asia Cup journey.
Head-to-Head Stats
It’s noteworthy that this will be the first T20I meeting between Sri Lanka and Pakistan since 2022. Historically, out of 23 T20I clashes, Pakistan holds a slight advantage with 13 wins, while Sri Lanka has won 10 encounters.
Probable Playing XIs
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.
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.
Players to Watch
Pakistan’s opener Sahibzada Farhan, who impressed with a fluent 58 against India, will again be under the spotlight. However, despite good runs, his strike rate in the tournament currently stands at 101.54.
On the bowling front, Shaheen Afridi is eyeing a milestone and could surpass Shadab Khan to become Pakistan’s second-highest wicket-taker in T20 internationals.
For Sri Lanka, Pathum Nissanka has been in fine form, scoring two half-centuries in his last four T20Is. Spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has been economical throughout the Asia Cup, yet to concede more than 30 runs in any game, and is expected to play a key role with the ball.
Fan Poll
Will Wanindu Hasaranga take two or more wickets in this match?
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