Pakistan to face Sri Lanka in 'do-or-die' Asia Cup 2025 match today

ABU DHABI: Pakistan and Sri Lanka are set to face off in an important Super-Four match of the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup 2025 today (Tuesday) at the Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi. Both teams are seeking their first victory in this stage of the tournament.

In their opening Super-Four matches, Pakistan, led by Salman Agha, suffered a defeat against arch-rival India, while Sri Lanka was defeated by Bangladesh. Currently, Pakistan sits at the bottom of the Super Four standings due to a poorer net run rate compared to third-place Sri Lanka.

On the contrary, the 2016 champions, India, sit at the top due to a superior net run rate than Bangladesh, as both teams have two points each in one match.

Qualification scenario

Pakistan remain in contention for the Asia Cup 2025 final, but their path is uncertain and could depend heavily on net run rate (NRR). Even two wins from their remaining fixtures may not be enough, while in some scenarios a single victory could suffice.

If India sweep all three Super Four matches, and Pakistan defeat Bangladesh but lose to Sri Lanka, then India advance with three wins and the other teams finish level on one each — leaving NRR to decide the second finalist.

Another possibility sees Pakistan beating both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, India defeating Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh upsetting India. In that case, three teams would end with two wins apiece, again pushing qualification to NRR.

If both Pakistan and India were to win all of their remaining fixtures, they would make it to the final to be played on September 26. In this case, India would have three wins, Pakistan two, Bangladesh one and Sri Lanka none, providing the most straightforward path to the final.