Former Pakistan cricket captain Ramiz Raja has raised concerns over Pakistan’s bowling attack ahead of the upcoming T20 Asia Cup 2025. Speaking on his YouTube channel, the ex-skipper highlighted the shortcomings in Pakistan’s death bowling and stressed the need for tactical improvements before facing top Asian sides on batting-friendly pitches.

Weakness in Death Overs

Ramiz Raja pointed out that Pakistan’s bowlers continue to struggle in the crucial final overs of T20 matches. He warned that against strong batting line-ups in Asia Cup conditions, such deficiencies could prove costly.

“Pakistan must improve its death bowling. On good batting pitches, stronger teams won’t spare such a bowling line,” he said.

According to him, the management needs to revisit its bowling strategies and ensure more variety in execution if Pakistan wants to compete effectively.

Sufyan Muqeem Needs to Evolve

Ramiz Raja specifically discussed young wrist-spinner Sufyan Muqeem, who has been making his way into the national setup. While praising his accuracy, Ramiz said the youngster still needs to add more variety to trouble world-class batters.

“His line and length are fine, but he has room to improve his spin. He must not bowl in the same style every time. He should use googlies and chinaman deliveries more often, otherwise batters will easily pick him,” Ramiz advised.

Praise for UAE’s Asif Khan

The former PCB chairman also praised Asif Khan, the UAE power-hitter who once played domestic cricket in Pakistan. Ramiz commended his ability to clear boundaries and said Asif had successfully proven himself on the international stage with consistent hitting power.

“Asif Khan has shown he is a terrific hitter. He used to play domestic cricket in Pakistan, and now he’s making a name while representing the UAE,” he noted.

Pakistan vs UAE Series Context

Ramiz’s comments came after Pakistan’s recent 31-run win against the UAE in the second T20 of the ongoing triangular series.

In Sharjah, Pakistan posted a massive 208-run target. In reply, the UAE team fought hard but was restricted to 176 for 8 in 20 overs, thanks to some late resistance from their middle order.

Despite the win, Pakistan’s inability to fully contain the UAE batters during the death overs reinforced Ramiz Raja’s concerns.

Looking Ahead to Asia Cup 2025

The Asia Cup, which will feature Asia’s top cricketing nations on batting-friendly tracks, will be a sterner test for Pakistan’s bowlers. Ramiz believes that unless Pakistan plugs the gaps in its bowling, especially in the death overs, the team could face serious challenges.

He concluded by emphasizing that while Pakistan’s batting appears to be finding momentum, bowling discipline and strategic variation will determine how far the team goes in the tournament.