Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi issued a bold statement ahead of their decisive Asia Cup 2025 clash against Bangladesh on Thursday in Dubai. With the reporter asking whether he expects a final between India and Pakistan, Afridi stunningly said Pakistan will deal with India if they come in the final. A section of netizens trolled the left-arm speedster, given he has gone wicketless on both occasions against India.
Despite the age-old rivalry between India and Pakistan, both teams haven't collided against one another in the final of any Asia Cup edition. In recent times, the Men in Blue have reigned supreme on most occasions over their arch-rivals, including beating them twice in Asia Cup 2025. With Team India looking rampant and Pakistan bouncing back to defeat Sri Lanka, fans could likely witness a battle between the two sides in the final.
When asked whether an India-Pakistan final looks likely, Afridi responded to the reporter by saying:
"Abhi woh log final tak nahin paunchey. Jab paunchengey toh phir dekhte hain unke saath. Kyunki hum yahaan aaye hain final jeetne, Asia Cup jeetne. Toh jo bhi team aayegi. Toh jo bhi team aayegi, hum ready hain."
(They have not reached the final yet. When they get there, we'll see. We are here to win the Asia Cup. So, whatever team comes in the final, we are ready.)
Watch the below reactions from the netizens:
Shaheen Shah Afridi finished as the pick of the bowlers for Pakistan during their victory over Sri Lanka
Meanwhile, the left-arm speedster bounced back well from his forgettable Super 4 outing against India in Dubai, where he managed figures of 3.5-0-40-0. The youngster snaffled figures of 4-0-28-3 against Sri Lanka on Tuesday in Abu Dhabi, including dismissing the openers Kusal Mendis (0) and Pathum Nissanka (8) for single-figure scores.
He later dismissed Kamindu Mendis for 50 as the left-hander threatened to add more runs to the total. Nevertheless, the task of chasing down as modest a total of 134 wasn't easy for Pakistan as they slid to 57/3 and 80/5 at two stages. Nevertheless, Mohammad Nawaz and Hussain Talat shared an unbroken 58-run stand off 41 deliveries to get their side over the line with five wickets and two overs to spare.
With that win, the task for Sri Lanka to reach the final becomes a steep one, given they have lost two games in Super 4.
