Pakistan will start their Asia Cup 2025 campaign against Oman on Friday, but all eyes are already on Sunday’s big clash against India in Dubai. Head coach Mike Hesson has raised expectations, saying Pakistan’s spin attack, led by Mohammad Nawaz, could be the key to their success.

The team comes into the tournament on the back of a T20 Tri-Series win, where they beat Afghanistan by 75 runs in the final, thanks to Nawaz’s brilliant hat-trick. With the UAE pitches expected to be slow, spin bowling is set to play a big role in Pakistan’s game plan. At Thursday’s press conference, Hesson praised the strength of Pakistan’s bowling and singled out Nawaz.

“When you’ve got wrist spinners like him, the pitch doesn’t matter as much. The good thing about our team is we have five spinners. Mohammad Nawaz is currently the best spin bowler in the world, and he has been ranked that way for the past six months since coming back into the side,” Hesson said.

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'Surface doesn’t really matter'

Pakistan 🇵🇰 coach has raised the stakes ahead of the encounter against India 🇮🇳@pratyush93_raj ✍️https://t.co/oOTVOPUU87

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He also mentioned the depth of their spin options, including Salman Ali Agha. “Salman Ali has hardly bowled, but he’s also our Test spinner. So we have plenty of spin options if the conditions suit. And if not, we have five seamers who can bowl fast, slow, or use reverse swing depending on the pitch.”

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Hesson also talked about Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan’s strike rates in T20Is. “It’s important to be honest when assessing players. I’m not pointing out weaknesses. I’m just saying the modern game needs a higher strike rate in the powerplay compared to before, especially in good batting conditions.” Pakistan will use the match against Oman to fine-tune their plans, but Hesson’s strong backing of Nawaz and the spin attack has already set the tone for Sunday’s big India clash.