Pakistan’s loss to India on Sunday nudged them to the foot of the Super Four standings, yet opener Sahibzada Farhan believes the match revealed more positives than the scoreboard suggests. His 34-ball fifty powered Pakistan to 91 for 1 inside the first ten overs – their best halfway mark against India in this tournament – and he insists that momentum can carry into Tuesday’s meeting with Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi.
“The way we batted today, the boys are very confident,” Farhan said straight after the defeat. “The wickets in Abu Dhabi are true and the ball comes onto the bat, and we’ll play to win.”
Key facts first
• Pakistan posted 171, India chased it down with an over to spare – the highest successful pursuit of this Asia Cup.
• All four of Pakistan’s fixtures so far have been in Dubai; the Sri Lanka match will be their first in Abu Dhabi.
• Sri Lanka also arrive on the back of a loss, leaving Tuesday’s contest perilously close to an eliminator.
Preparation – or lack of it – has been raised as a potential problem, given Pakistan travelled without a formal training session. Farhan brushed that aside: “We’re very well prepared. The boys are confident ahead of the Sri Lanka game because this wasn’t a one-sided game; it was one we took right to the end.”
What changed on Sunday?
Farhan, currently Pakistan’s leading run-scorer in the tournament, targeted Jasprit Bumrah early and then went after wrist-spinner Kuldeep Yadav, plus the left-arm orthodox of Axar Patel. By the halfway mark Pakistan were cruising, only for a middle-overs stutter to drag the run-rate back. Analysts on local television, including former India opener Aakash Chopra, pointed to a “clear difference” in Pakistan’s intent; the trick now is sustaining that aggression for 20 overs.
“I worked a lot on my six hitting,” Farhan explained. “When I used to score runs before, there were very few boundaries among them. If we’d won this game, it would have been very valuable to me. Performing against India is very highly rated but I just regret we didn’t win the game today.”
Mistakes still linger. Farhan accepts that Pakistan have too often squandered the powerplay in previous matches: “The mistake we were making in previous matches was losing wickets early on and not utilising the powerplay. This time around our powerplay was brilliant, with 91 in 10 overs. There was a collapse in the middle and we’ll look to rectify that.”
Those collapses partly explain why Pakistan have yet to post a 180-plus total in this Asia Cup. Strike rotation slowed, India’s spinners found grip, and wickets fell just as the platform was set. It left India requiring a gettable 86 from the final ten overs, a chase they managed with relative comfort.
Celebration and controversy
Farhan’s half-century came with a six off Axar and an impromptu “gun-shot” celebration, bat cocked and imaginary trigger pulled. Television cameras lingered; social media had its say. Farhan insists no offence was intended: “That celebration was just a spur of the moment. I rarely celebrate when I get to fifty. But when I got there I suddenly got the idea of celebrating, and so I did without knowing or caring how people would interpret it. We should play aggressive cricket against any team, not just India, the way we played today.”
Looking ahead
Pakistan shift to the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, a slower surface than the Dubai International. It can assist spin and reward batsmen willing to nudge rather than muscle, but Farhan sees opportunity rather than risk. He argues that “true” bounce allows stroke-makers to trust the pitch. Whether Pakistan shuffle the batting order, or stick with the top three that finally clicked, will be decided at the optional training hit-out on Monday evening.
Optimism – cautiously expressed – sits alongside realism. Pakistan must beat Sri Lanka and hope the net-run-rate maths remains kind. Farhan, for one, is already thinking further ahead: “We’d love to be able to meet India again in the final.” For that to happen, Pakistan need two wins and a slice of luck, yet the opener’s own form offers a sliver of belief.
Analytical takeaway
1. Powerplay gains: 91/1 proved Pakistan can match India’s tempo at the top.
2. Middle-overs dip: 80 runs in the final ten overs was 15-20 light for this ground.
3. Bowling response: Pakistan’s seamers hit the right lengths early but lacked penetration once the ball softened; spin leaked boundaries in the 12-16 over bracket.
Those numbers suggest the gap is not insurmountable, but time is running short. Farhan’s bat has offered a blueprint; the rest of the XI must now follow it, starting in Abu Dhabi.
