Basit Ali, Kamran Akmal suggest Faheem Ashraf’s replacement for India clash

Former Pakistan cricketers Basit Ali and Kamran Akmal have suggested replacements for all-rounder Faheem Ashraf ahead of the highly anticipated Asia Cup 2025 clash against India, scheduled to take place at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Speaking on a YouTube channel following Pakistan’s commanding win over Oman in their tournament opener, Basit Ali backed pacer Salman Mirza to come in for Faheem, while Kamran Akmal favoured Hasan Ali for the role.

The wicketkeeper-batter explained the reasoning behind choosing Hasan over Faheem for the high-profile match.

“If you want Faheem Ashraf to bat at that number, then Hasan Ali can also handle that position just as well—he can play those shots too. Plus, you can even hand Hasan the new ball,” Akmal said.

The men in green opened their Asia Cup campaign with a thumping 93-run victory over Oman in Match 4, courtesy of Mohammad Haris’s maiden half-century and a collective bowling effort.

Batting first, the Green Shirts posted 160/7 in 20 overs despite suffering a middle-order collapse. 

After the early dismissal of Saim Ayub for a golden duck, Haris (66 off 43) and Sahibzada Farhan (29) stitched together an 85-run stand to steady the innings. Later contributions from Fakhar Zaman (23* off 16) and Mohammad Nawaz (19 off 10) bolstered the total.

For Oman, Aamir Kaleem and Faisal impressed with three wickets apiece, while Muhammad Nadeem claimed one.

In reply, Oman were bundled out for just 67 in 16.4 overs, suffering a heavy defeat in their maiden Asia Cup appearance. Hammad Mirza top-scored with 27, but no other batter could withstand Pakistan’s relentless attack.

Saim Ayub, Sufiyan Muqeem, and Faheem Ashraf bagged two wickets each, while Shaheen Shah Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, and Mohammad Nawaz struck once apiece.

The victory propelled Pakistan to second place in the Group B standings with two points and a healthy net run rate of 4.650.