Dubai, Sep 24 (PTI): Pakistan fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi avoided a direct response to Suryakumar Yadav’s recent remark that Indo-Pak matches should not be considered a rivalry anymore due to India’s dominance, saying his team is focused on winning the Asia Cup.
Speaking at a pre-match press conference ahead of Pakistan’s must-win Super 4 clash against Bangladesh on Thursday, Afridi said, “That’s his view, let him say. When we meet (in the likely final on Sunday), we will see kya hai, kya nahi. Tab dekh lenge. We are here to win the Asia Cup and we will give our best effort for that.”
Suryakumar had noted that for a rivalry to be genuine, the head-to-head record should not be as lopsided as the current 12-3 T20I record in India’s favour. India have beaten Pakistan twice in the ongoing tournament.
The rivalry has been tense off the field as well, with India refusing customary handshakes before and after matches to express solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack, blamed on Pakistan-based terrorists. Pakistani players’ aggressive gestures — including Haris Rauf’s mocking of Indian fans and Sahibzada Farhan’s gun-firing celebration — have further stoked tensions.
Afridi, however, downplayed suggestions of planned aggression. “There is no specific plan to be aggressive, we have always been aggressive, from the time we started playing. This is how cricket is played and the team morale is kept high,” he said.
When asked about a possible Indo-Pak final, Afridi said, “We are not in the final yet, when we reach, we will think about it.” On his teammates’ behaviour, he added, “Our job is to play cricket, people can think what they want. We are here to win the Asia Cup. We are trying our best to fulfil Pakistan’s hopes.”
Reflecting on Pakistan’s narrow win over Sri Lanka while chasing 133 in Abu Dhabi, Afridi credited Hussain Talat and Mohammad Nawaz for handling the pressure. “T20 is like this only, everyone doesn’t perform at the same time,” he said.
On his own role, Afridi said, “My job is to fulfil the role assigned to me whether it is batting or bowling. Doesn’t matter if I am injured or unwell. My job is to keep team morale high and perform well.” He acknowledged the need for “more variation” in Pakistan’s bowling attack but dismissed concerns of fast bowlers underperforming.
Looking ahead to Bangladesh, Afridi said Pakistan must start strong. “Bangladesh is a good team and has played good cricket of late. We have to punch first against them, we have to play good cricket,” he said.