Pakistan to face Bangladesh in Asia Cup virtual semi-final today

Pakistan and Bangladesh will face off in the penultimate Super Four match of the ACC Men's T20 Asia Cup, which has turned out to be a virtual semi-final.

The winner will secure a coveted ticket to Sunday's grand finale against India, while defeat means the end of the road. With identical records in the Super Four stage, Pakistan and Bangladesh have outplayed Sri Lanka but stumbled against India.

Despite sealing the Asia Cup 2025 final spot, India will take on Sri Lanka, who have been eliminated, in their last Super Four match on Friday.

If Pakistan progress to the final, it will mark the third encounter between the arch-rivals, with India having won the first two. Although Pakistan and India have reached the Asia Cup finals several times, they have never met each other.

Meanwhile, Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman, who sustained a gruelling blow to his head while facing Sri Lanka's Dushmantha Chameera, has been declared fit for the Bangladesh game.

Chameera bowled a quick bouncer that went over Fakhar’s bat and gloves before crashing into his helmet.

As per the International Cricket Council's (ICC) safety measures, Pakistan's physio rushed to the field and conducted a concussion test on Fakhar, who initially looked a little dazed, but fortunately, after brief medical attention, resumed his innings.

Addressing a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi highlighted Pakistan’s approach and mindset for the match against Bangladesh, stressing the importance of a strong start, consistency throughout the game, and focusing fully on each challenge.

Bangladesh is a good team and has been playing quite well recently. Obviously, whenever we play matches against such teams, we need to deliver the first punch ourselves and not give them any opportunity," he said.

"Yes, we have to play good cricket at all three stages, and after that, there’s the next game. Our focus is on the Bangladesh game and how to approach it," he added.