Pakistan began their Asia Cup Super Four campaign with a defeat to India. However, by beating Sri Lanka in their second match, Salman Agha’s team kept their hopes of reaching the final alive. To qualify, Pakistan must beat Bangladesh. Ahead of this ‘do-or-die’ clash, Pakistani pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi spoke about the Tigers in a press conference.
Before the Pakistan–Bangladesh match, a journalist asked Shaheen what Pakistan’s playing XI would look like against the Tigers. In a serious tone, Shaheen asked in return, “Who are the Tigers?” He then tried to lighten the moment with a laugh and added, “Oh sorry. I’ll ask the head coach about the XI, I don’t know.”
However, speaking about the game, he made it clear that Bangladesh cannot be taken lightly: “Bangladesh are a good team; they’ve been playing excellent cricket recently. In such a match, you have to strike first, you can’t give them opportunities. To win, you need to perform well in all three departments — batting, bowling, and fielding.”
For more than a decade, Bangladesh’s cricket team has been widely known in world cricket as the “Tigers” — something Shaheen Afridi seemed unaware of.
