Pakistan’s star fast bowler, Shaheen Shah Afridi, caused a delightful stir during a recent press conference in Dubai when he suffered a momentary lapse of memory. Ahead of their crucial Super Fours match, Afridi hilariously forgot the well-known nickname of the Bangladesh cricket team.
During the pre-match interaction, a reporter referred to “the Tigers,” prompting a genuinely confused Afridi to ask, “Tiger kaun?” (Who’s Tiger?). The room erupted in lighthearted chuckles as he was gently reminded of Bangladesh’s iconic moniker.
A smiling Afridi quickly responded with an apologetic, “Ohh, Bangladesh, sorry.” He then added humorously, “Mai head coach se puch lunga, sorry mujhe nahi pata.” (I’ll ask the head coach, sorry I don’t know).
Despite the humorous gaffe, the upcoming Super Fours match is serious business. Historically, Bangladesh has faced a tough challenge against Pakistan in T20 internationals, securing only five wins in 25 encounters, compared to Pakistan’s 20. However, Bangladesh recently demonstrated their capability with a 2-1 series victory against Pakistan on home soil in July.
Afridi acknowledged Bangladesh’s improved form and outlined his team’s strategy: “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 further emphasized, “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.”
The two teams are set to clash in their final Super Fours fixture in Dubai this Thursday.
Bangladesh Squad for Asia Cup:
- Litton Das (c)
- Tanzid Hasan
- Parvez Hossain Emon
- Saif Hassan
- Tawhid Hridoy
- Jaker Ali Anik
- Shamim Hossain
- Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan
- Shak Mahedi Hasan
- Rishad Hossain
- Nasum Ahmed
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Tanzim Hasan Sakib
- Taskin Ahmed
- Shoriful Islam
- Shaif Uddin
Pakistan Squad for Asia Cup:
- Salman Ali Agha (c)
- Abrar Ahmed
- Faheem Ashraf
- Fakhar Zaman
- Haris Rauf
- Hasan Ali
- Hasan Nawaz
- Hussain Talat
- Khushdil Shah
- Mohammad Haris
- Mohammad Nawaz
- Mohammad Waseem Jnr
- Sahibzada Farhan
- Saim Ayub
- Salman Mirza
- Shaheen Afridi
- Sufyan Moqim