Pakistan's Asia Cup 2025 flops: Players who failed to deliver in marquee event

Anurag Dasgupta

Pakistan players who flopped [Source: AFP Photo] Pakistan players who flopped [Source: AFP Photo]

The Asia Cup 2025 is over for the Pakistan side, and despite having an average tournament, the side managed to reach the finale, where they lost a close-fought battle against the Indian team. The Men in Green reached the finale, courtesy of their brilliant all-rounders, but the side also had several players who underperformed.

In this article, we look at 3 players from the Pakistan side, who failed to deliver the goods and had a horrendous Asia Cup 2025.

1) Salman Ali Agha

Eyebrows were raised when Salman Ali Agha, with no prior captaincy experience, was appointed the skipper of the T20I team after Pakistan’s Champions Trophy exit. Under his guidance, the team failed to win matches against big teams, and it was evident in the Asia Cup 2025.

Moreover, his performances with the bat was underwhelming as he failed to deliver the goods for the Pakistan team.

Criterion
Data
Matches7
Runs72
Average12
Strike rate80.90

(Salman Agha in Asia Cup 2025)

  • Just 72 runs, at an average of 12 and a strike rate of 80, defined his Asia Cup campaign. Salman Agha was mediocre with the bat and often halted Pakistan’s momentum, as the side failed to capitalise despite a strong start by the openers on numerous occasions.
  • A captain who strikes at 80 cannot be in the team, as he couldn’t lead the team from the front with his bat.

2) Saim Ayub

A lot was expected of Saim Ayub before the Asia Cup tournament, but the marquee event turned out to be a nightmare for him as he registered four ducks, the most in a single edition of Asia Cup, and failed in almost every single game for his nation.

Criterion
Data
Matches7
Runs37
Average5.29
Strike rate97.37

(Saim Ayub in Asia Cup 2025)

  • Just 37 runs in seven matches, including four ducks, Saim Ayub had a tournament to forget. Midway through the tournament, his batting position was switched as he got demoted from his usual opening spot. 
  • Surprisingly, he starred with the ball, picking up 8 wickets, but he failed in his primary job, and that was to win matches with the bat.

3) Mohammad Haris

Even before the start of the Asia Cup 2025, Haris was under pressure, especially after his strike rate comments on Babar Azam. However, despite all the talk, he failed to justify his selection as the batter only scoring 131 runs and ghosting in big matches against India.

Criterion
Data
Matches7
Runs131
Average21.83
Strike rate133.67

(Haris in Asia Cup 2025)

  • His best knock of the tournament came against a lower-ranked Oman side, where he scored 66 runs, but after that, he couldn’t score against the big teams (India), and even in the finals, when the stage was set for a big score, Haris departed for a duck, and finished the tournament with a strike rate of 133.