Asia Cup 2025did not disappoint in terms of entertainment value. The eight-team tournament was eventually won by India with arch-rivals Pakistan coming runners-up in a thrilling contest at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The recently-concluded continental tournament dished out a few breathtaking contests which left fans at the edge of their seats. These particular fixtures saw the momentum swing from one end to another in a span of a few overs.
Asia Cup 2025 best comebacks: 3 matches that shocked fans
3. Bangladesh vs Afghanistan (Bangladesh won by eight runs)
Afghanistan were able to restrict Bangladesh
to 154/5 after a promising start to their innings. Tanzid Hasan (52 off 31) top-scored for the Tigers. However, none of the other batters could match Tanzid's tempo as the spin duo of Rashid Khan (2/26 in 4 overs) and Noor Ahmad (2/23 in 4 overs) impressed with the ball.
However, Afghanistan faltered in chase and were staring down the barrel at 77/5 in 13 overs. A quickfire 16-ball 30 from Azmatullah Omarzai provided some impetus to Afghanistan. However, some remarkable bowling by left-armers Nasum Ahmed (2/11 in 4 overs) and Mustafizur Rahman (3/28 in 4 overs) turned the tide towards their side.
2. Pakistan vs Bangladesh (Pakistan won by 11 runs)
Pakistan were in all sorts of trouble in a do-or-die clash against Bangladesh. Being put in to bat first, they lost half their side with only 49 on the board before a 38-run stand for the seventh wicket took them to 135/8. Taskin Ahmed (3/28 in 4 overs) impressed with the ball. Mahedi Hasan conceded as many runs as Taskin as well while picking up a couple of wickets.
Coming to the chase, Bangladesh scored 36 runs in the powerplay while losing three wickets. Bangladesh continued to lose wickets, with only Shamim Hossain, the eventual top-scorer for his team, able to put some fight. He was dismissed by Shaheen Shah Afridi in the the 17th over. Afridi was awarded the Player of the Match award for his all-round display (19 off 13 and 3/17 in 4 overs), as Pakistan progressed to the final after securing a tense win.
1. India vs Pakistan (India won by 5 wickets and 2 balls to spare)
Pakistan had gotten off to a positive start in the Asia Cup 2025 final against India. Sahibzada Farhan (57 off 38) was the first wicket to fall with the score on 84. However, barring the top three batters, no other player registered double digit as eight out of the 10 wickets were scalped by spinners. Kuldeep Yadav was the star performer with a four-wicket haul (4/30 in 4 overs) to his name.
India did not start well in the chase, losing their top three batters within the first four overs. It took a composed, anchoring knock from Tilak Varma (69* off 53) to enable India to cross the finish line. He was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match award. Haris Rauf (0/50 in 3.4 overs) proved to be mighty expensive.
