Daijiworld Media Network

Dhaka, Mar 8: Asian hotshots, India knocked out. Hosts, Bangladesh dispatched winless. The spirited Afghans caught the eye but never really threatened to catch the Cup. Going for lunch? Buried with work? Attending a wedding? Cut all that out and tune in to what promises to be a rousing finale. It is the hitherto undefeated Sri Lanka vs the reigning champs, Pakistan. Greetings and welcome to the Asia Cup title clash.

Just when the starving Bangladesh tigers were ready to rip into Sri Lanka in the last league game, Angelo Mathews, producing a masterclass, tamed them, guiding his side home in a nervy chase to keep up the momentum heading into the final. Lakmal's pin-point yorkers augur well for Sri Lanka in the future but he has to pave way for the proverbial master of the craft- Malinga, who is set to return and spearhead the attack following a deserved break.

As always, Pakistan's varied bowling attack is their strength. Believe it or not the batting unit too presents a rather settled outlook with the likes of Fawad, Umar Akmal and Shehzad hitting form. However, Misbah's men will have to contend with a few injury woes. Charismatic all-rounder, Shahid Afridi has been diagnosed with a 'hip flexor strain' whilst Sharjeel and Umar Gul are also carrying niggles.

Pakistan have won the toss and have opted to bat

Mathews: 'We had to make a tough call today. Mendis goes out for Lakmal. The wicket looks good. It won't change much. We had to fight every single game, we want to continue to do well.'

Misbah: 'Afridi is playing. We would like to bat first. There are a few changes. Sharjeel in for Maqsood and Junaid comes back in place of Rehman. It's the added pressure of the final and we want to put runs on the board.'

Teams

Sri Lanka (Playing XI): Kushal Janith Perera, Lahiru Thirimanne, Kumar Sangakkara(w), Mahela Jayawardene, Ashan Priyanjan, Angelo Mathews(c), Chaturanga de Silva, Thisara Perera, Sachithra Senanayake, Suranga Lakmal, Lasith Malinga

Pakistan (Playing XI): Sharjeel Khan, Ahmed Shehzad, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq(c), Fawad Alam, Umar Akmal(w), Shahid Afridi, Mohammad Talha, Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, Junaid Khan

Aha, Afridi has cleared a late fitness test and will play, as confirmed by Misbah. For Sri Lanka, Lakmal holds onto his berth with Mendis missing the cut. Quite surprising, considering the fact that Mendis is the joint highest wicket taker in the series.

Pitch report: 'This was the same wicket used for the India-Pakistan game. It is flat and well-rolled, the cracks are close together. There will be that hint of movement off the seam early on for the pacers. As usual, the spinners will come into play later on. The ball may skid on in the last 25 overs. The team that wins the toss should bowl first because of the dew factor', reckons Arun Lal

Match Preview

The Asia Cup has reached its finale. In what came as a breath of fresh air, the tournament will be remembered for some quality cricket being played.

Afghanistan proved themselves as a worthy ODI unit, India cursed their bad luck after heart-wrenching losses against Sri Lanka and Pakistan. Bangladesh let their cricket mad fans down after losing all their games. Pakistan and Sri Lanka set up the tournament with a well contested opener and it is only fitting that the two teams will clash for the trophy.

Sri Lanka have been the form team in the tournament and a perfect all win record in the league phase illustrates that. On the contrary, Pakistan have Shahid Afridi to thank for their presence in the title round. Twice in as many matches, against India and Bangladesh, Afridi pulled his team from certain losing situation into victories.

With the World T20 round the corner, a win in the finals will be a major confidence booster to both teams. In short, Saturday's match will be a clash between the flair of Pakistan and the consistency of Sri Lanka.


Sri Lanka

Angelo Mathews' men have been a picture of consistency right throughout the tournament. Kusal Perera, granted a confirmed slot in the absence of regular opener Tillakaratne Dilshan has provided the spark at the top of the order but it is Kumar Sangakkara who has once again held the middle-order in good stead. With 248 runs, Sangakkara has been the leading run-scorer in the tournament so far.

Skipper Mathews has led from the front and has been dismissed only once in the tournament so far. While Mahela Jayawardene's poor form is a cause for concern, the presence of quality all-rounders down the order more than makes up for it.

On the bowling front, Lasith Malinga has shown signs of returning to his best and so is Ajantha Mendis. The team does depend heavily on the magic of these two men but also boast of adequate support staff. The three all-rounders, Mathews, Thisara Perera and Chaturanga de Silva provide plenty of balance to the side. Add Sachithra Senanayake, the wily off-break bowler, Sri Lanka's bowling looks quality.


Pakistan

Pakistan's route to the finals have been on the back of single handed efforts from Afridi. India and Bangladesh were left watching haplessly after a certain victory was stolen right under their nose. Ahmed Shehzad and Mohammad Hafeez worked well as a pair against Bangladesh, and with Fawad Alam playing superbly on his comeback, it will only mean Pakistan might not be forced into bringing back Sharjeel Khan. Misbah-ul-Haq is due for some runs, surprising considering the sort of form he has been ever since last year. Umar Akmal scored tough runs against Afghanistan, but up against the big Asian boys, his temperament has come under immense scanner.

Pakistan's strong point is their bowling though. Saeed Ajmal, the magician never seems to have an off-day while Junaid Khan and Mohammad Talha have held their own in the pace department. Junaid was left out in favour of Abdur Rehman for the last game, but the left arm pacer should be back for the finals, not just on the back of Rehman's horror show the other day.

Stats and Trivia

The last time these two teams met in a multi-nation tournament final was the 2000 Asia Cup in Dhaka. Pakistan won that match by a convincing margin of 39 runs.

The last time the two teams competed in a finals was at Sharjah in April 2002 where Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by a whopping 217 runs.

Only three players (Shahid Afridi, Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene) were a part of either side when the two teams last featured against each other in a cup final.

Team News

Sri Lanka will welcome back Lasith Malinga who was rested for the inconsequential encounter against Bangladesh. Suranga Lakmal will be the man to sit out. Dinesh Chandimal might be back in place of Ash Priyanjan despite his shoddy form off-late.

There are some minor injury worries surrounding Umar Gul, but the Pakistan management is confident about his availability. Junaid Khan might replace the off-colour Abdur Rehman.

Quotes

'He [Jayawardene] normally bats very well; it's only in the last three to four matches he has failed. He's a legend of cricket. He can come back very strongly at any time. He's our key batsman along with Sangakkara. Hope he comes back to form against Pakistan: Thisara Perera passionately defends the out-of-form former captain.

I just knew that both the matches were important for Pakistan to win. There are many reasons that I won't like to discuss, but both of them were very important for me as well as the country: Shahid Afridi, on his new found batting