Decoded: How spinners exposed Pakistan batters' glaring weakness in Asia Cup 2025

Anurag Dasgupta

Why Pakistan lost Asia Cup [Source: AFP Photo] Why Pakistan lost Asia Cup [Source: AFP Photo]

Pakistan had the Asia Cup 2025 finale at the palm of its hands, but the Men in Green let the game slip away in a matter of minutes, courtesy of poor batting performances. At one stage, the Pakistan side was 113/1, and were all set to reach the 200-run mark; however, disaster struck soon in the form of wickets.

Wickets tumbled at regular intervals as the team crumbled from 113/1 to 146 all-out. This was the turning point of the game as Pakistan missed out on a chance to grab the match with both hands. Throughout the tournament, the Pakistan batters let their team down, and perhaps their poor gameplay against spin was the main reason for their downfall.

Pakistan's poor gameplay against spinners in Asia Cup

The Men in Green had a young side, and their batters struggled against quality spin bowlers throughout the tournament. As per the statistical data, they threw away 30 wickets against the spinners and the data tells the story.

Pakistan opponent
Wickets taken by spinners
India15
Bangladesh4
Sri Lanka
4
UAE4
Oman3

(Spinners took 30 wickets against Pakistan)

  • As the data tells, 30 wickets were given to the spinners, and this is where Pakistan lost the entire plot in the marquee Asian tournament. Especially against India, Pakistan batters struggled and lost 15 wickets in 3 matches to Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakravarthy, and Axar Patel.
  • Not only India, but even teams like Oman and the UAE, which are less threatening than India, dominated the Pakistan team with their spin game, and it showcases their vulnerability.

How poor spin game cost Pakistan Asia Cup final

In the finale against India, Pakistan lost 8 out of 10 wickets against the Indian spinners as the Men in Blue roared back in the contest. Pakistan had an 84-run opening stand, but that was broken by Varun Chakravarthy.

Interestingly, the first eight wickets to have fallen were captured by spin bowlers, with Bumrah taking the last two scalps. None of the top seven batters read the Indian spinners as they played erratic shots, and from 113/1, the team lost the plot and lost the game.

Kuldeep Yadav finished with 4 wickets, while Chakravarthy and Axar ended with 2 wickets each to break the sluggish Pakistan batters.