The battles that could decide the Asia Cup Final as Abhishek vs Afridi takes the spotlight for the third time.
Abhishek 2, Afridi 0 – the battles that could decide the Asia Cup final.
India’s Asia Cup spark plug has been Abhishek Sharma, whose daring powerplay has given his team enough momentum to offset the middle order’s rustiness.
Back-to-back half-centuries against Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka have been the 25-year-old’s hot streak; each of those innings was so destructive that it demoralised the opposition. Prior to the half-centuries, he made thirty in three games, demonstrating his consistency, which is an improvement over his prior inconsistent aggression.
Although he has been around for a lot longer than his opponent on Sunday, Shaheen Shah Afridi is also 25. With the exception of India, against whom he has bled 63 runs for no wicket in 5.5 overs over two games, he has been successful against every team in this Asia Cup. He recaptured the magic that made him new-ball royalty and grabbed six wickets in his two previous games coming up to Sunday’s final, both of which were must-win matches for Pakistan.
Abhishek has attacked Afridi, who was formerly well-known for his ability to score in the opening over of a Twenty20 match. Abhishek charged at Afridi’s opening delivery on September 14, their first encounter, and blasted a full toss back over his head. Over extra cover for six, the following one vanished. Abhishek promptly removed a big portion of the aim of 128 with a score of 31 from 13 balls.
In the aftermath of handshake-gate, the sequel was even hotter. Afridi’s temper flared as they exchanged words. With obvious annoyance, Afridi waved wicketkeeper Mohammad Haris away when he suggested standing up to the stumps to stop Abhishek from stepping out. Abhishek hit him for six right there, even though the first ball was a bouncer with a fine leg on the boundary.
After the first two matches, Abhishek leads 2-0. In his head-to-head match against Afridi, he scored 31 runs off 14 balls, including three sixes and two fours. Round three on Sunday may be the most pressure-filled match for the India opener to yet.
Despite having a difficult season, Mitchell Starc delivered a six-ball burst that was too good for Abhishek and Sunrisers Hyderabad when he faced him in the IPL 2024 final. Pakistan hopes Afridi can conjure the same kind of big-match impact.
Here in Dubai, Afridi once accomplished this feat against India during the 2021 T20 World Cup, using deadly inswing to eliminate Rohit Sharma and KL Rahul in the opening over. For the first time in a men’s World Cup match, it assisted Pakistan in defeating India.
When Afridi is at his peak, as he was that evening in 2021, he is a box office success. His rapid ascent has the audience giddy with excitement. His joy, with his arms raised and kisses blown into the air, is a declaration when the breakthrough occurs. He shares the record for most wickets taken by a bowler from a Full Member nation with 22 in the opening over of T20Is. He is ranked second in all T20s, including franchise tournaments.
Afridi hasn’t lost his new-ball magic, as evidenced by his last two appearances. He got rid of Parvez Hossain Emon with his fifth against Bangladesh and Kusal Mendis with his second ball against Sri Lanka. It’s difficult to imagine Abhishek approaching Afridi in any other manner, and Sunday’s final is probably going to be a heated match.
The 2025 Asia Cup final could be determined by whether Abhishek can dominate once more or whether Afridi can win the match for the third time.