Afridi in as Pakistan bats first in Asia Cup final

DHAKA: Allrounder Shahid Afridi was declared fit as Pakistan won the toss and opted to bat in the final of the Asia Cup against Sri Lanka in Dhaka on Saturday.

Pakistan, defending the title, made two changes as left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman and batsman Sohaib Maqsood were left out. In comes opener Sharjeel Khan and paceman Junaid Khan.

Pakistan had fitness worries over Afridi (hip) and Ahmed Shehzad (shoulder) but both passed fitness test ahead of the match.

Sri Lanka left out spinner Ajantha Mendis who made way for paceman Lasith Malinga.

Pakistan has the upper hand against Sri Lanka according to the overall statistics available, as in 138 ODIs Pakistan won 80 matches, while Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in 53 matches only.

Sri Lanka have also an impressive record of winning the title four times and have been runners-up on six occasions. They won all the four matches in this tournament.

Teams:
Pakistan: Misbah-ul Haq (captain), Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Sharjeel Khan, Fawad Alam, Shahid Afridi, Umar Akmal, Junaid Khan, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Mohammad Talha.

Sri Lanka: Angelo Mathews (capt), Kusal Perera, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Lahiru Thirimanne, Thisara Perera, Ashan Priyanjan, Lasith Malinga, Sachithra Senanayake, Chaturanga de Silva, Suranga Lakmal.

Umpires: Nigel Llong (ENG) and Bruce Oxenford (AUS)Tv umpire: C. K. Nandan (IND)Match referee: Jeff Crowe (NZL)