Asia Cup Final Today
Local familiarity favours Pakistan
Familiarity with Bangladeshi conditions will make Pakistan favourites against Sri Lanka in the Asia Cup final today at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium.
The two Asian powerhouses are set to lock horns for the 12th Asia Cup crown and Pakistan will fancy their chances going into their second successive appearance in the final of the competition, often called Asia’s World Cup.
And there are quite a few reasons for Pakistan to feel confident, chief among them being the event taking place in Bangladesh, one of their preferred hunting grounds.
The 1992 ICC World Cup champions have won Asia’s regional title two times, with both tournament victories coming in Bangladesh, in 2000 and 2012.
On top of that, Pakistan have claimed the ICC Under-19 World Cup twice in 10 attempts, and one of those successes came in Bangladesh in 2004.
The participation of several Pakistani cricketers in the Bangladesh domestic circuit is also another reason to tag the defending champions as favourites.
The overall head-to-head record gives Pakistan the advantage as well. They have been triumphant in 80 occasions out of 138 meetings against Sri Lanka. On the other hand, the Lankans have won 53 times, with one encounter resulting in a tie and the other four ending in no-results.
Pakistan will, however, have to contend with some last-minute injuries.
Mercurial all-rounder Shahid Afridi incurred a hip strain during the game against Bangladesh on March 4, while opening batsman Ahmed Shehzad is suffering from a minor shoulder injury.
Batsman Sharjeel Khan and paceman Umar Gul were also recovering from stiffness.
Despite the injuries, Pakistan captain Misbah ul Haq refused to be downtrodden, insisting that they were fully focused ahead of the grand finale.
‘Considering the scenario, we are prepared to face any situation and have our plans ready for the final. The team is fully confident. We hope to continue playing positive and good cricket,’ said Misbah on the eve of the final.
‘Obviously your main players make a difference to the side. We are, however, mentally strong. The confidence level is very high. All the members of the team have been performing well.
‘There is a will to win. We hope to get them in the side but at the same time we’re confident that even if they don’t play, we have the boys in the bench who are capable and confident to win the games,’ he said.
Afridi in particular has been in inspiring form, having blasted match-winning knocks in the previous two games against Bangladesh and India, and Misbah duly gave credit to the hard-hitter for his exploits with the bat.
‘At the moment he’s really playing well. These injuries are part and parcel of the game. We’re just positive about that,’ said Misbah. ‘Let’s see tomorrow how he feels and then we’ll decide.’
The Pakistan skipper stated that they were wary of a trio of in-form Sri Lankans: speedster Lasith Malinga, finger-spinner Ajantha Mendis and veteran batsman Kumar Sangakkara. However, he went on to say that they will reserve their attention for their own strengths.
‘You obviously have plans against the main [opposition] players and also others who are contributing for the team. It depends on the day how you execute those plans,’ said Misbah.
‘Sri Lanka [are] obviously a tough opposition, especially in the final, because they do their basics right and always fight.
‘We have to be 100 percent up to the mark to put up a good show. We should be doing everything right, do the basics right like we have been doing in the previous games.
‘If you play good cricket, results go in your way,’ he concluded.
-With New Age input
