Asia Cup 2014: Shahid Afridi's milestones and Misbah-ul-Haq's run outs

Pakistani captain Misbah-ul-Haq (R) talks with teammate Shahid Afridi during a practice session ahead of the final of the Asia Cup one-day cricket tournament between Pakistan and Sri Lanka at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 7, 2014.

Pakistan owe their position in the Asia Cup Final to their hero, Shahid Afridi. If it wasn’t for his match winning strikes against India and Bangladesh, Pakistan would probably not be playing the final tomorrow. In Sri Lanka, Pakistan will meet a familiar opponent in the final. Even though Sri Lanka has been the more dominant team in the tournament, Pakistan should fancy their chances against them.

Head to Head, Overall

Pakistan won the last ODI series between the two teams 3-2, and their overall record against them is also better, which reads Pakistan 80, Sri Lanka 53, Tie 1. Even though there is not such a huge difference in the record in more recent years, Pakistan still leads the head-to-head records: 10-8 in matches since 2010.

Head-to-Head, Tournament Finals

The head-to-head record in tournament finals, however, is even closer. Pakistan and Sri Lanka have played 12 finals with each team winning 6. The last time the two teams met in an ODI final was in 2004, in the final of the Paktel Cup in Lahore. Sri Lanka won that by 119 runs. The last time the two teams met in an Asia Cup Final was in 2000 in Dhaka, which is where tomorrow’s final will also be played. In 2000, Pakistan won the final by 39 runs.

Shahid Afridi’s Milestones

Shahid Afridi’s batting form has been key to Pakistan’s success in the Asia Cup, and, if he proves to be the difference between the two sides once again in the final tomorrow, he may reach some new personal milestones.

1. Afridi is one man of the match award away from overtaking Jacques Kallis and Ricky Ponting to become the third highest man of the match award winner in ODIs.

2. Afridi needs 3 wickets to overtake Brett Lee and 4 wickets to overtake Glenn McGrath to become the 6th highest wicket-taker in ODIs.

3. Afridi needs 60 more runs to go past Inzamam-ul-Haq to become the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in Asia Cup matches.

If Afridi is at the top of his game tomorrow, he will probably reach one of these milestones, if not more.

Sri Lankan Milestones

Shahid Afridi is not the only one who might reach milestones. If Sri Lanka’s best batsman in the tournament, Kumar Sangakkara, and their best bowler, Ajantha Mendis, are in top form, they could become the all time highest run-scorer and highest wicket-taker in Asia Cup matches respectively.

1. Sangakkara is 145 runs away from Sanath Jayasuriya’s record of 1,220 runs in Asia Cup matches.

2. Mendis is 5 wickets away from Muttiah Muralitharan’s record of 30 wickets in Asia Cup matches.

If either of those milestones are achieved, then Sri Lanka will surely be looking at lifting their 5th Asia Cup title.

Misbah-ul-Haq‘s MilestonesMisbah has been a prolific scorer for Pakistan in ODIs since taking over the team. He has bailed the team out on many occasions and has set up victories, as well. In this Asia Cup, however, it has been a different story.

Misbah scored 73 in Pakistan’s opening game against Sri Lanka, yet Pakistan lost the match. Pakistan won their next 3 games against Afghanistan, India and Bangladesh; Misbah’s contribution in those games was 0, 1 and 4.

In two of those games, Misbah was run out.

What is interesting is that Misbah has been run out 7 times in his ODI career, and Pakistan has not lost any of those 7 ODIs: 6 were won, while 1 was tied, with 3 of the wins coming against Sri Lanka.

So it is not only Afridi’s form with the bat that is key to Pakistan’s success but also Misbah running himself out.

Pakistan are the defending Asia Cup champions, and, if they manage to win tomorrow, Misbah will add another feather to his cap by becoming the only Pakistan captain to win two Asia Cup titles.

Interesting Pakistani Milestones

1. Moin Khan was the Pakistan captain in 2000 when Pakistan won the Asia Cup for the first time. It will be an interesting feat for him if Pakistan win tomorrow, giving him two Asia Cup titles: 1 as captain and 1 as coach.

2. Mohammad Akram will also achieve a similar feat if Pakistan win. He was a part of the team in the Asia Cup in 2000 and is currently with the team as their bowling coach.

3. Misbah, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Afridi, Umar Gul, and Saeed Ajmal were part of the victorious Asia Cup campaign in 2012 as well. All of them will become the only Pakistan players to be a part of two victorious Asia Cup campaigns if Pakistan win tomorrow.

4. If Pakistan win tomorrow, Shahid Afridi will become the only Pakistani player to win the Asia Cup three times.

This Asia Cup has provided thrilling matches, and one can look forward to the same tomorrow. Here’s hoping for a cracking game and Pakistan achieving all these milestones!