'Tigers who?': Shaheen Afridi blanks on Bangladesh nickname ahead of Asia Cup clash

Pakistan’s star pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi provided a hilarious moment at the pre-match press conference on Wednesday when he briefly forgot Bangladesh’s popular cricketing nickname, the Tigers.

A reporter asked Shaheen whether Pakistan would stick with the same playing XI against the “Tigers.”

Puzzled, the left-arm quick stopped him mid-question, asking, “Tiger kaun?” (Who’s Tiger?). After someone in the room clarified “Bangladesh,” Shaheen quickly smiled and replied, “Ohh, Bangladesh, sorry.”

He then laughed and added, “Mai head coach se puch lunga, sorry mujhe nahi pata.” (I’ll ask the head coach, sorry I don’t know).

Separately, when questioned about the intense attention from fans whenever India and Pakistan face each other, the 25-year-old pacer responded casually, “Don't look.”

Shaheen also highlighted Pakistan’s approach and mindset for the match, stressing the importance of a strong start, consistency throughout the game, and focusing fully on each challenge.

"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 said.

"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," he added.

Pakistan kept their campaign alive with a five-wicket win over Sri Lanka in a Super Four clash in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday. India and Pakistan have already faced each other twice in this edition of the tournament, but the neighbours have never met in an Asia Cup final.

The men in blue have also won the last seven internationals against Pakistan since September 2022, including four T20Is and three ODIs.

Bangladesh, who face India on Wednesday and Pakistan on Thursday, stand in the way of a potential final clash between the two rivals in Dubai on Sunday.