After taking three wickets against Bangladesh, Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi expressed confidence about his personal form and Pakistan’s chances of reaching the Asia Cup 2025 final. Afridi, who conceded many runs against India and went wicketless in two matches against them, responded to India captain Suryakumar Yadav’s post-match comment asking reporters to stop referencing the India-Pakistan rivalry.
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SKY Remarks
Suryakumar had remarked that there is no rivalry anymore due to India’s dominance, having beaten Pakistan seven times consecutively. Shaheen dismissed those comments with composure, stating, “Let him say what he wants. Neither has he reached the final yet, nor have we. We will see when the moment comes. It is our job to win. We have come to win the Asia Cup. We will do our best,” speaking to reporters ahead of Pakistan’s must-win Super Four clash against Bangladesh at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on September 25.
Shaheen also addressed his performances in this tournament, emphasizing his commitment to contributing in all facets of the game batting, bowling, and fielding regardless of conditions. “Like the last two matches, the way you said about batting, my job is that whenever I get a position, I bowl. Batting, fielding, bowling, whatever I get, I give my 100%. Because it is obvious. Whenever I play, I try to give my 100%. Whether I am sick or injured, whatever I am, but it doesn’t show outside. So my job is to raise the morale of the team and play all the cricket with energy,” he elaborated.
Pakistan won
Pakistan secured a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka to keep their final hopes alive after back-to-back defeats to India, who won both matches comfortably with their young batters Shubman Gill, Abhishek Sharma, and Tilak Varma dominating the attack. Pakistan now must win against Bangladesh to keep their Asia Cup dream alive. Suryakumar’s critical comment on the rivalry came right after India’s six-wicket victory over Pakistan in the Super Four stage, where he said, “You guys should stop asking questions about the rivalry between India-Pakistan. According to me, if the two teams are playing 15-20 games, and the scoreline is 7-7 or 8-7, then it is called a rivalry. 10-0, 10-1, I don’t know what the stat is, but this is not a rivalry anymore. I think we played better cricket than them, and also from a bowling point of view.”
Despite the recent tension and aggressive gestures by Pakistani players, Shaheen maintained that Pakistan’s focus remains on winning and lifting team morale through positive cricket. The debate about the India-Pakistan rivalry will ultimately be answered on the field should the two teams meet again in the Asia Cup final, a possibility hanging in the balance as the tournament nears its conclusion