- Fakhar Zaman declared fit, set to play today’s match.
- Bangladesh is good team, says Shaheen Afridi at presser.
- Adds Pakistan have to play good cricket in all departments.
Pakistan and Bangladesh are set to lock horns in the second-last match of the Super Four stage of the ACC Men’s T20 Asia Cup today (Thursday) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, as the clash has now taken the shape of a virtual semi-final.
The winner of today’s fixture will face India in the grand finale of the tournament on Sunday. In the Super Four, Pakistan and Bangladesh both have defeated Sri Lanka but lost to India.
Despite sealing the Asia Cup 2025 final spot, India will take on Sri Lanka, who have been eliminated, in their last Super Four match on Friday.
If Pakistan progress to the final, it will mark the third encounter between the arch-rivals, with India having won the first two. Although Pakistan and India have reached the Asia Cup finals several times, they have never met each other.
Meanwhile, Pakistani opener Fakhar Zaman, who sustained a gruelling blow to his head while facing Sri Lanka’s Dushmantha Chameera, has been declared fit for the Bangladesh game.
Chameera bowled a quick bouncer that went over Fakhar’s bat and gloves before crashing into his helmet.
As per the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) safety measures, Pakistan’s physio rushed to the field and conducted a concussion test on Fakhar, who initially looked a little dazed, but fortunately, after brief medical attention, resumed his innings.
Addressing a pre-match press conference on Wednesday, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Afridi highlighted Pakistan’s approach and mindset for the match against Bangladesh, stressing the importance of a strong start, consistency throughout the game, and focusing fully on each challenge.
Bangladesh is a good team and has been playing quite well recently. Obviously, whenever we play matches against such teams, we need to deliver the first punch ourselves and not give them any opportunity,” he said.
“Yes, we have to play good cricket at all three stages, and after that, there’s the next game. Our focus is on the Bangladesh game and how to approach it,” he added.
