'For me, there is no Indian or Pakistani...', why did Captain Muhammad Waseem say this after being out of the Asia Cup?

Pakistan has secured a place in the Super Four of the Asia Cup 2025. In the match played on September 17th, Pakistan defeated the UAE by 41 runs. This defeat marked the end of the UAE's journey in the tournament.

Batting first in the match, Pakistan, thanks to the batting of Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Afridi, set a target of 147 runs for the UAE. In response, the UAE collapsed for just 105 runs. After the defeat, UAE captain Mohammad Wasim pointed out the team's weaknesses.

What did Captain Mohammad Wasim say after the defeat?

In fact, during the post-match presentation, UAE captain Mohammad Wasim said,

"I would like to credit our bowlers for restricting them to a low score. But we lost the match due to our batting. Despite losing three wickets in the power play, we were in a good position, but wickets kept falling after the 15th over. The middle order should have taken responsibility. It was a good experience. We played against teams like India and Pakistan and learned a lot, which we will apply in future competitions."

It should be noted that this Pakistan-UAE match started an hour late because the Pakistani team refused to play the match at 6 pm. However, the Pakistani team later arrived for the match.

UAE captain Mohammad Wasim dismissed concerns about the delay in the match and the India-Pakistan handshake controversy. He clearly stated that his team's full focus is on cricket. Wasim said,

"We came to play, with a plan. Whether the match started at 6:30 or 7:30, we were ready. That's the organizers' business, not ours."

Regarding the relationships within the team, he emphasized that for him, there is no Indian or Pakistani. Wasim said, "We all play and live like a family. We all represent the UAE together."

Teams India and Pakistan qualified from this group, while the UAE and Oman were eliminated. The India-Pakistan teams will once again face off on September 21st.

What's the state of the Asia Cup 2025 Points Table?

Despite the victory over the UAE, Pakistan failed to reach the top spot in Group A. Pakistan qualified for the Super Four stage by winning two of their three matches so far in the tournament. Pakistan currently has four points, but India remains on top due to a better net run rate.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka tops the Group B points table, having won both of their matches so far. Their net run rate is +1.546. Bangladesh is in second place with two wins and one loss. Afghanistan is in third place with one win.