India vs Pakistan: How teams prepared for heated Asia Cup match

Dubai, United Arab Emirates – A day prior to the marquee India-Pakistan cricket clash at the Asia Cup 2025 in Dubai, it’s a tale of two teams positioned on opposite ends of the pre-match hype metre as political frenzy envelops the fixture.

As a result of the hoopla, the game of cricket has been reduced to a supporting act.

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India’s assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate faced the heat as his side’s designated news conference representative on Saturday.

The former Netherlands international cricketer was sent to tackle a barrage of questions on the tense atmosphere in the wake of the four-day conflict in May, when the South Asian archrivals came close to an all-out war.

Unlike the pre-tournament news conference, where media persons were discouraged from asking political questions, Saturday’s event was heavier on politics and lighter on cricket.

Doeschate, who has been part of the Indian coaching set-up for over a year, was asked to talk about the players’ mindset in the lead-up to the match and whether the simmering sentiments back home will affect them.

“It will play on the minds of the players, who share the compassion of the Indian public,” Doeschate said.

However, the coach urged them to “put the sentiments and emotions behind” when they step on the field.

“It’s something we have addressed in the dressing room in team meetings. We are aware of the feelings [of Indian fans], but the guys have to play for their country, so they will be as professional and focused as they can be given the circumstances.”

While the conversation occasionally turned to India’s team combination for the match and tackling a new-look Pakistani T20 side, some sections of the media kept steering it back to themes such as “using the sports field as an avenue for protest [against the opponent]” and, cynically, protecting the players from the outside noise.

However, ten Doeschate was careful in his handling of questions on the delicate theme and did not attempt to shut down the constant probing.

He revealed India head coach Gautam Gambhir’s message to the dressing room in the lead-up to the Pakistan match.

“It’s been about being professional, not worrying about things not in our control and trying to be emotionless when approaching the cricket side of things.”

The 45-year-old former allrounder wrapped up by saying the way the Indian team plays on Sunday will “represent how the players feel about the country.”

India’s captain Suryakumar Yadav and head coach Gautam Gambhir at a practice session [File: Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

‘Just another cricket match’

Meanwhile, Pakistan took the opposite approach to the media scrutiny by sending Saim Ayub, a very nonchalant young member of the squad, to deal with the barrage of critical and deceptively political questions.

The allrounder flat-batted the inquest into Pakistan’s inability to beat India in recent games by repeating the “past is past” mantra that every athlete knows so well.

Pakistan’s last win over India, in all formats and competitions, came in October 2021, when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan guided them home by 10 wickets.

The 23-year-old has never played a match against India, and when he was asked to recount his experience of being on the reserves’ bench during the India-Pakistan game at the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, he simply blamed amnesia for his inability to recall his feelings from last June.

“I could have answered your question better had you asked last year,” he quipped.

Ayub, whose main role in the team is to open the batting, has seen a dip in his run-scoring form since his return from injury this year.

In his 15 T20I innings since May, Ayub has scored 40 or more runs on four occasions, only one of which came during the recent tri-nation T20 series in the UAE.

The left-handed batter dealt with the criticism of his performance with a smirk and said, “The same player can’t be expected to win the match every time.”

“The team is made up of 11 players, and we try that every player stands up on a different day. We can only try to give our best effort and hope that the result goes our way.”

When it was his turn to face questions on the hyped up match and how it could lead to on-field nerves, Ayub was happy to term it “just another cricket match”.

“It can be a big fixture for some people, but for us, it’s just another match where we must improve our performance.”

A changed-up Pakistan team led by a new captain and coach will look to change the recent trend in results against India, while their opponents will aim to not only win the contest on the pitch, but also placate a charged-up fanbase back home.

Pakistan's Shaheen Shah Afridi tosses a ball before the start of the Asia Cup 2025 Twenty20 international cricket match between Oman and Pakistan at the Dubai International Stadium in Dubai on September 12, 2025. (Photo by Sajjad HUSSAIN / AFP)
Pakistan will rely on Shaheen Shah Afridi’s experience against India on Sunday [Sajjad Hussain/AFP]

Sri Lanka power past Bangladesh at the 2025 Asia Cup

Pathum Nissanka became the quickest Sri Lankan batter to reach 2,000 T20 runs as the opener sprinted his team to a six-wicket win over Bangladesh in a crucial Asia Cup match on Saturday.

Nissanka perfectly manipulated the line and lengths of the Bangladeshi bowlers to score 50 off 34 balls, and Sri Lanka breezed to 140-4 in a strong start to its campaign.

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Bangladesh, which handed Hong Kong a seven-wicket drubbing in its first Group B game, recovered from a horror start to score 139-5 after it lost both openers to fast bowler Nuwan Thushara and Dushmantha Chameera’s successive wicket maidens with the new ball.

Nissanka batted fluently and scored six fours and a six as he reached the 2,000-run landmark in his 68th T20 innings when he completed his half-century. Kusal Perera had the previous Sri Lanka record, achieving the feat in 76 innings.

Nissanka fell soon after his entertaining 95-run stand with Kamil Mishara (46 not out) had all but sealed the game, when Shoriful Islam held on to a spectacular two-handed catch at deep backward square leg.

Bangladesh had to pay a heavy price for dropping Mishra on 1 when Mahedi Hassan could not hold on to a two-handed catch close to the 30-metre circle at wide mid-on. Although Perera and Dasun Shanaka also perished quickly while going for big shots, Mishara’s unbeaten knock of 32 balls ensured Sri Lanka finished off the game with more than five overs to spare.

Earlier, after being put into bat, Shamim Hossain (42) and Jaker Ali (41) helped Bangladesh recover from a disastrous start in the second half of their innings when they combined in an 86-run unbroken stand off 61 balls.

Wanindu Hasaranga made an impactful return to international cricket with figures of 2-25 after missing the last series against Zimbabwe due to a hamstring injury. The leg spinner should have had the wicket of Jaker in his eventful second over, only to see his sharp googly grazing the off stump after going through the defences of the batter, but both bails stayed on the stumps.

Hasaranga’s sharp spinning deliveries and the twin strikes of Thushara and Chameera saw Bangladesh slump to 53-5 in the 10th over when captain Litton Das (28) was out leg before wicket while attempting a reverse sweep against Hasaranga.

Over 100,000 attend London rally led by far-right activist Tommy Robinson

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets of London for a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, as support for the anti-immigrant Reform UK party soars across the country.

London’s Metropolitan Police estimated that Robinson’s “Unite the Kingdom” rally drew about 110,000 people on Saturday, crowds marching from two directions – Waterloo Bridge and Lambeth Bridge – and converging on Whitehall, next to the United Kingdom Parliament.

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Al Jazeera witnessed people waving an assortment of flags – Union Jacks, the red and white St George’s Cross of England and the Israeli Star of David – chanting “[Keir] Starmer is a w*****” as they flocked to see famous far-right speakers next to the UK Prime Minister’s Downing Street residence, including Robinson, Katie Hopkins, and Steve Bannon.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon and is known for his anti-immigrant and anti-Islam views, billed the march as a demonstration for free speech, British heritage and culture, pumping up the crowd with claims that migrants now had more rights in court than the “British public, the people that built this nation”.

The Met deployed more than 1,600 officers to keep apart Robinson’s rally and a counter “Stand Up to Racism” protest attended by about 5,000 people, reporting on X that a number of officers were assaulted as they tried to stop the former breaching cordons delineating a buffer area between the two.

“We continue to see significant aggression directed at officers by Unite the Kingdom protesters,” said the force on X, which arrested nine protesters, adding that additional officers supported by police horses had been deployed in “multiple locations”.

Stand Up to Racism counterprotest held

At the counterprotest, attended by left-wing lawmakers Zarah Sultana and Diane Abbott, the crowd held signs saying “refugees welcome” and ”smash the far right,” and shouted “stand up, fight back”.

The “Stand Up to Racism” campaign group posted on X that its protesters had also been attacked by Robinson’s followers. “Are these the ‘concerned ordinary people’ we’ve heard so much about? Or are they far right thugs,” said one post.

Robinson’s rally comes at the tail end of a highly charged summer in the UK that featured several protests staged outside hotels housing asylum seekers in England, following the arrest of an Ethiopian man who was later convicted of sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl in a London suburb.

It also comes as the far-right, anti-immigrant Reform UK party establishes itself as a significant political force, with recent polls saying it would be the UK’s largest political party if a general election were held now.

People at the march displayed placards with slogans like “send them home” and “stop the boats”, the latter a reference to asylum seekers making the perilous journey over the English Channel in inflatable boats.

One woman who had travelled from Scotland for the march told Al Jazeera that she was sick of seeing homeless British people in the street while immigrants were receiving shelter and that empty buildings should be opened for both groups.

“Bad things are going to happen if things don’t change,” she said.

Robinson founded the nationalist and anti-Islamist English Defence League (EDL) and is one of the most influential far-right figures in the UK.

Ronaldo headlines former Premier League stars in Asian Champions League

Former English Premier League stars could make the difference in the Asian Champions League that begins Monday. Ivan Toney, Jesse Lingard, Riyad Mahrez and Darwin Nunez all have a chance of winning Asian football’s premier club tournament.

Saudi clubs dominated last season, providing three of the semifinalists before Al-Ahli won the final in front of 60,000 spectators at Jeddah in May. Al-Ittihad and Al-Hilal are also back and expected to challenge again for the title.

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Since the country’s Public Investment Fund took over the leading clubs, including Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr, in 2023, Saudi Pro League clubs have spent about $1.5bn on players.

Toney signed for Al-Ahli from Brentford in August 2024 and would welcome more success in Asia.

“It was great to win the Champions League in front of our fans, and they are so passionate,” Toney told The Associated Press news agency.

The England striker scored six goals in last season’s continental tournament and has forged a fruitful relationship with Riyad Mahrez, who won the UEFA Champions League with Manchester City in 2021.

“If you get into the right positions in the area, then great players like Mahrez will find you,” Toney said. “The standard in Saudi Arabia is very high.”

There are 24 teams in the group stage, split into western and eastern zones in Asia, with the top eight from each progressing to a round of 16.

Riyadh’s Al-Hilal is the most successful club in the tournament’s history with four titles, and was the only Asian team to get out of the group stage at the Club World Cup in June, defeating Manchester City to reach the quarterfinals.

Al-Hilal has been bolstered by the $70m signing of Uruguayan striker Nunez from Liverpool.

Al-Ahli’s Roberto Firmino lifts the trophy as he celebrates with teammates after winning the Asian Champions League by beating Kawasaki Frontale in the 2024-2025 final [Reuters]

Coach Simone Inzaghi guided Inter Milan to the final of the UEFA Champions League and a 5-0 loss to Paris Saint-Germain before quitting in June and moving to Al-Hilal.

The Italian coach will be hoping to go one better in Asia.

Two-time champion Al-Ittihad, meanwhile, is looking to Karim Benzema and N’Golo Kante, who have won the European version, to do the same in Asia.

Former Manchester United and England star Lingard is flying the flag for FC Seoul. The South Korean league is the most successful in Asian club competitions with 12 titles overall, but has produced just one winner since 2016.

Lingard joined the K-League team in 2023 and, after a slow start, became club captain and a fan favourite.

“Now, we have to compete in the league as well as the AFC Champions League Elite,” Lingard said. “As captain, I will do my best to help the team achieve good results.”

Seoul FC coach Kim Ki-dong is giving the 32-year-old Lingard more responsibility.

“He has played for England and in the Premier League, but this will be his first AFC Champions League,” Kim said. “I know he’s really looking forward to this, and he’s working hard for it.”

Japanese clubs have offered most of the opposition to Saudi clubs recently. Kawasaki Frontale beat Al-Nassr in the semifinals in April but didn’t qualify this time.

Global Sumud Flotilla sets sail from Tunisia to break Israel’s Gaza siege

An international convoy of boats, the Global Sumud Flotilla (GSF), has set sail from Tunisia, aiming to defy Israel’s siege on Gaza and deliver humanitarian aid.

The GSF, which departed Bizerte Port on Saturday, includes more than 40 vessels carrying between 500 and 700 activists from more than 40 countries, according to Anadolu.

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Participants say they are determined to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza.

Among those joining is Franco-Palestinian lawmaker Rima Hassan, a member of the French National Assembly, who announced her participation after boarding in Tunisia.

“Our governments are responsible for the continuation of the genocide in Gaza,” Hassan wrote on X, accusing European leaders of silence in the face of Israeli attacks on aid convoys. In June, she joined another Gaza-bound boat that Israeli forces seized in international waters.

he flotilla is supported by prominent activists, including Swedish climate campaigner Greta Thunberg, who has long been vilified by Israeli officials for her solidarity with Palestinians.

The flotilla reported this week that two of its ships – the Family, which had members of the steering committee on board, and the Alma – were attacked while anchored near Tunis.

Activists suspect Israeli involvement, noting that one of the vessels was struck by a drone.

Tunisia’s Ministry of the Interior confirmed a “premeditated aggression” and said an investigation had been launched.

Despite the attacks, flotilla organisers insist they will press ahead. “Faced with this inaction, I am joining this citizens’ initiative, which is the largest humanitarian maritime convoy ever undertaken,” Hassan said.

History of intervention

This is not the first time Israel has moved to stop such missions.

In early June, Israeli naval forces intercepted the Madleen ship in international waters, seizing its aid supplies and detaining the crew of 12 activists. Another vessel, the Conscience, was struck by drones in May near Maltese waters, leaving it unable to continue its journey.

Organisers say the GSF – named after the Arabic word for resilience – represents one of the boldest challenges yet to Israel’s control of Gaza’s coastline.