The Asia Cup 2025 has made headlines more for off-field reasons than on-field action. The centre of it all is the controversy surrounding two of the fiercest rivals, India and Pakistan.
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As the arch-rivals prepare to clash in the all-important final, former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf has sparked yet another debate, stating that Pakistan has been handed tougher wickets than the other teams.
Has Pakistan played on tougher wickets than India and Sri Lanka?
Speaking to Samaa News, Yousuf shed light on Pakistan's Asia Cup campaign so far. He pointed out the contrasting wickets that the Men In Green have been presented with in the tournament, compared to the other teams.
While Pakistan has reached the finals, they haven't been convincing in the high-stakes games. They lost their matches against India and made it to the Super Fours, beating the UAE and Oman.
The Men In Green, however, improved their game during the Super 4s, where they defeated two relatively stronger teams, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
"Sri Lanka scored 135 against us on a difficult wicket. Yesterday (India vs Sri Lanka), it was a very easy wicket. Pakistan has not gotten such easy wickets in any of the games...all teams are playing on good wickets except Pakistan. We are getting to play on tough wickets," said Yousaf
The Pakistani side has played in low-scoring encounters and on relatively slower wickets, which have offered fewer runs. They have managed to cross the 150-run mark just twice in the tournament, once against Oman and the other against India.
The UAE is often known for producing such slow and double-paced wickets. The pitches, however, have gotten better to play on as the tournament progressed.
With India and Pakistan set to face off for one final time in Dubai, the pitch is expected to play a bit better, especially with how the wickets played in the previous few encounters at the venue. In the last game at the venue, more than 400 runs were scored, and the match went to the Super Over.
When and where is the India vs Pakistan Asia Cup 2025 Final?
The India vs Pakistan Asia Cup Final will be played on Sunday, September 28th at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The two sides will clash for the third time in this edition. India has come on top on both occasions before this and additionally has a 7-match winning streak against the side.
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