Afridi's selection means that the team management has opted to play two left-arm spinners in the second Test as he will pair with Noman Ali, who is already established and also picked up a 10-wicket haul in Pakistan's 94-run win in the first game in Lahore.
On Sunday, in the crucible of Dubai, it all comes down to a single question: Who will seize their moment and become a hero for a nation?
India and Bangladesh have two points each with Suryakumar Yadav's men leading the standings owing to a superior net run rate. Sri Lanka and Pakistan occupy the third and fourth spots respectively.
Yorkers on the field, reels off it -- Arshdeep Singh is mastering both games. The left-arm pacer, already India's leading T20I wicket-taker, is fast becoming cricket's social media star.
IMAGES of the Asia Cup Final played between India and Pakistan in Dubai on Sunday
'Talat has done very well in domestic cricket. I know him for several years. He has been working really hard with his game, so I'm really happy for him.'
Firing the first salvo ahead of high profile Asia Cup clash against arch-rivals India, Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson on Thursday termed left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz as the "best spinner in world cricket".
Pakistan are currently in the second spot with two points, ahead of UAE (2 points) on net run rate.
The Indian trio of all-rounder Hardik Pandya, mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy and aggressive opener Abhishek Sharma retained their respective top positions in the ICC T20 rankings.
India head coach Gautam Gambhir and captain Suryakumar Yadav closely inspected the pitch of the Dubai International Stadium on the eve of their highly-debated Asia Cup clash against Pakistan.
The tournament had been fraught with tension from the very start, and the animosity carried into the final, which India won by five wickets on a rather long Sunday night.
Spinners of both sides will have a significant role to play considering that Jasprit Bumrah and Shaheen Shah Afridi are the only specialist pacers who will be seen in action in Sunday's match.
Pakistan beat Bangladesh, set up first ever Asia Cup final date against India
Purnendu Maji and Srinivas Bhogle present Rediff's Most Valuable Player Index of Asia Cup 2025.
Salman Ali Agha will lead the team for the upcoming UAE tri-series and the subsequent Asia Cup also to be played in the UAE, the International Cricket Council announced on Sunday.
Pakistan made short work of an inexperienced UAE batting unit by winning their last group league game by 41 runs in Dubai on Wednesday.
Pakistan survived a wonderful spell from an enraged spinner Wanindu Hasaranga to beat Sri Lanka by five wickets in an intense Super 4 match to stay alive in the Asia Cup, in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
Mohammad Haris struck a fluent half-century as a dominant Pakistan thrashed minnows Oman by 93 runs, in a Group A Asia Cup match.
I don't remember how I felt when Pakistan lost to India in New York: Saim Ayub
Seldom has an India vs Pakistan clash played with such a volatile backdrop, where cricket seems inseparably knotted with off-field tension, provocative gestures, and fines slapped on both camps.
Skipper Suryakumar Yadav will depend heavily on his spin troika as India gear up for yet another demolition act of Pakistan in what promises to be an intense and tense Super 4 face-off of the Asia Cup in Dubai on Sunday.
With stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan sidelined, it will be a test of character for the Salman Agha-led Pakistan side.
'We do not need short-term measures but long-term ones. Companies seem to have given up on the infrastructure part. Long delays are fuelling more traffic crisis.'
Pakistan's ODI campaign ended in embarrassment as they collapsed to 92 all out in the series decider against the West Indies
Abhishek Sharma was brutal and beautiful in equal measure during his scintillating 74 as India made a tricky chase look comfortable, winning an ill-tempered Super 4 contest of the Asia Cup against Pakistan by six wickets in Dubai on Sunday.
Unless a player picks up an injury in training, India's team is expected to wear the same look against a Pakistan squad that are without top stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, lending it a look of youth and experience.
'Mr & Mrs 55 was breezy, romantic and so Hollywood.'
Kuldeep slips to third in ODI rankings, Maharaj regains top spot
This year's roster sees ten players each placed in Categories B, C, and D. Notably, no player has been selected for Category A in this cycle, the PCB said in a statement.
With no success beyond opening, where does India fit Samson in batting order?
Pakistan head coach Mike Hesson said Babar Azam has been asked to improve certain aspects of his game.
The 24-year-old took the wicket of all the top seven England batters, finishing with figures of 7/114.
'Abrar uncle said he had started drinking from the afternoon on that fateful day. And he continued drinking till late at night.' 'Thereafter, he must have consumed some sleeping pills, as was his habit.' 'I think that combination went fatally wrong.'
'You have become a big star. How can you play a secondary role to Meena Kumari?'
England cemented their position by finishing day two on 202-5 riding fifties by Ben Duckett and Harry Brook.
'If you watch songs like Acha Ji Main Haari Chalo Maan Jao Na, Lag Ja Gale or Jhumka Gira Re, you'll notice they're not just a distraction. There's a story unfolding within them.'
'Everyone at Guru Dutt Productions would get monthly salaries. Waheeda didi would get Rs 2,500 per month. And that was the reason why she left.'
The main accused, arrested for the rape and blackmailing of some girl students of a college in Bhopal, was shot and injured after he allegedly tried to escape custody by snatching a policeman's pistol, an official said on Saturday.
India captain Rohit Sharma played down concerns around his fitness after a crucial group A match of the Champions Trophy against Pakistan. Despite a brief period off the field during the Pakistan innings, Rohit assured that his hamstring was "okay." Meanwhile, Virat Kohli's century led India to a six-wicket victory, putting them on the verge of a semifinal berth.
Guru Dutt took an overdose of pills twice, once even swallowing opium, calling out for Geeta Dutt even when he was not fully conscious. One suicide attempt, according to sister Lalita Lajmi, was definitely deliberate with Guru Dutt leaving a letter for brother Atma Ram asking him to take care of the production company, his wife and the kids. But she always wondered if the third attempt was actually suicide since there were no calls and no letters.
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