Shaheen Shah Afridi was in no mood to entertain talk of decline after his side’s six-wicket victory over Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi put Pakistan one match away from consecutive T20 Asia Cup finals. The left-arm quick collected three wickets with the new ball, setting up what felt like a routine chase and a timely lift before Thursday’s virtual semi-final against Bangladesh.
“It’s not that we’re not winning,” Afridi said. “We’ve won most of our last dozen games. It’s true we haven’t won against higher-ranked teams, but most of our recent games haven’t been against them. We were here to win the tri-nation series, and we won that. We are here to win the Asia Cup, and that’s all we’re focused on now.”
Key moments first
• Pakistan abandoned their usual powerplay spin for an all-pace assault; every one of the first six overs came from a quick bowler.
• Hussain Talat, more often viewed as a utility batter, bowled three overs and removed Kusal Perera and Sadeera Samarawickrama in the same eighth over.
• Afridi struck twice in his opening spell and returned at the death to finish with 3 for 25, enough to be named player of the match.
Only once in Pakistan’s previous 13 T20Is had the spinners been ignored in the powerplay. The change, Afridi insisted, reflected conditions rather than panic. “I don’t think our fast bowlers are struggling, but in T20 cricket on good wickets, batters have the license to go after the quick bowlers. We’ve been trying to vary our bowling more, and that’s something I’m working on. We were getting swing. Early on, I got breakthroughs, removing two of their main players. That’s the kind of attacking cricket we want to play – get your main bowlers on and finish the game quickly.”
Talat confirmed afterwards that he had been told to expect a greater role with the ball, a small but notable shift for a side that has leaned heavily on spin through the middle overs. Former India seamer Varun Aaron, watching from the commentary box, suggested the extra pace up front “changed the whole rhythm of Sri Lanka’s innings”, though he cautioned that the tactic could be risky on slower surfaces.
Looking ahead
Attention now swings to Bangladesh, the only team to deny Pakistan a series win during the last four months. The equation is straightforward: whoever wins on Thursday plays Sunday’s final, most likely against India, though neither group has finished yet.
“Bangladesh has been playing good cricket of late,” Afridi warned. “Whenever you play such teams, you should try to strike first. You shouldn’t give them an opportunity. We’ll have to perform well in all three departments if we are to get past them.”
There is obvious appetite, from broadcasters and supporters alike, for a first India-Pakistan final in this competition, and Afridi admitted the prospect had crossed his mind. Yet the 24-year-old tempered expectations, noting that “neither side had made it that far yet”, a line delivered with a grin but underscored by the knowledge that Bangladesh upset Pakistan as recently as July.
Noisy, not nasty
Sunday’s meeting with India was bruising – several heated exchanges between Pakistan’s pacers and India’s openers made sure of that – but the mood against Sri Lanka was noticeably warmer. Handshakes replaced verbals, suggesting the earlier confrontations were tactical rather than emotional.
For Pakistan, small refinements continue. The batting order was untouched, the fielding sharper, and Afridi’s yorker found its radar again. One win is still required, but the route is clear, and the spearhead seems untroubled by outside chatter. After all, as he put it, Pakistan have lost just one of their last four series – hardly the record of a side in crisis.
