Sri Lanka feel Shahid Afridi is a major threat to their hopes of being crowned ICC World Twenty20 champions at Lord’s on Sunday.
The all-rounder put in a man-of-the-match performance to help Pakistan beat favourites South Africa in the semi-finals, hammering 51 off 34 balls and then claiming 2-16 with his leg spin.
Afridi’s efforts helped push his side through to a second successive final in the tournament having lost out to rivals India in the inagural event.
While Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara acknowledges the 29-year-old will be a key man, he believes Pakistan has plenty of strength in depth.
Plans
“We’ve faced some of the players we’re going to play against and Afridi is a player who can take the game away from you in a few overs,” said Sangakkara.
“We can’t get caught up in one player, although we’ll probably discuss a few plans for him about how we can try and get him out early or if he stays for a while how to minimise the damage.
“We will be thinking about Afridi, but we will also be thinking about all the other Pakistan players and most of all we need to focus on what we will be doing on Sunday and making sure we have a lot of self-belief walking out.”
Sangakkara added: “We have played them many times before, but in T20 every single game is taken in isolation.
“The game can change very quickly and different players come into their own so we have to prepare ourselves to meet any challenge that comes our way and maybe walk away with the trophy.”
The final comes just three months after the Sri Lanka team bus was attacked by terrorists in Lahore as they made their way to the Gaddafi Stadium for the third day of the second Test against Pakistan.
Sangakkara, one of several players who suffered minor injuries in the attack, said: “Hopefully there will not be much emotion
“I think we have to control that part if we want to be mentally strong enough to do what we need to do tomorrow.
“I think the guys have moved on very well from where we were just after Lahore. We are going to make sure that whatever emotions come our way we’re going to control them and use them as a positive to try and win a game.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan captain Younus Khan hopes to fulfil a career dream by lifting a major trophy.
Pakistan have only once won a world event - 17 years ago at the 50-over World Cup - and Younus wants to emulate the achievements of that heralded side who clinched glory Down Under.
“In my whole career I have dreamed about lifting the World Cup, or something like that,” said Younus.
“This would be a big achievement for me. We have only one World Cup, in 1992, under Imran Khan.
“If we win tomorrow it will be good for our future cricket and also for the Pakistani nation as well.
“It has been suffering a lot of things, especially in the north, where I am from. There are a lot of things wrong there.”
Settled side
Pakistan have already lost to Sri Lanka by 19 runs on the same ground in the Super Eights but, having settled on a consistent XI, they have since claimed three straight victories.
Younus added: “Both teams have good spinners and that is why we reached the final. Nobody thought spinners would do damage in a country like England but that has been the case.
“Now it is all about the day of performance. If my boys play the same as we have played in the last couple of games - when we have been unbeaten - we will win quite easily.
“If we play on potential we will beat any team. We are underdogs. I think we reached the final because there was no pressure on us.
“After the first game people talked about us not qualifying for the Super Eights, while teams like India, Australia and England who have good records in this tournament were under pressure to get through.”
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