Statistical highlights of the Asia Cup final between Pakistan and Bangladesh played in Mirpur on Thursday.
# Shakib Al Hasan's 25th half-century in ODIs is his third against Pakistan.
# Shakib has registered 25 fifties and 30 innings of fifty-plus (5 hundreds + 25 fifties) -- both records for Bangladesh in ODIs.
# Shakib's 68 off 72 balls was his highest at the Asia Cup -- his third fifty in the Asia Cup competition. The knock is the highest by a Bangladeshi batsman in a tournament final, bettering the 60 by Tamim Iqbal in the same match.
# Shakib and Tamim are the only batsmen to record fifties for Bangladesh in a tournament final.
# Shakib received the Player of the series award for the fifth time in ODIs for managing 237 at an average of 59.25 and taking six wickets at 33.16 runs apiece.
# Aizaz Cheema (3/46) produced his best performance against Bangladesh in ODIs.
# Cheema averages 17.50 in a winning cause, claiming 20 wickets in nine games, including two four-wicket hauls -- one each against Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.
# Cheema's performance is the best by a Pakistani bowler in the Asia Cup Final, behind the 3 for 32 by Abdul Qadir against Sri Lanka at Colombo, SSC on April 6, 1986.
# Tamim Iqbal (60 off 68 balls) is the first batsman to post four consecutive fifties at the Asia Cup -- his previous three fifties were 64 against Pakistan, 70 against India and 59 against Sri Lanka.
# Tamim is the first Bangladeshi player to register four fifties in a row in ODIs. His fourth half-century against Pakistan is his 23rd in ODIs.
# Tamim completed 500 runs at the Asia Cup -- 517 at an average of 43.08 in 12 matches. His tally includes six fifties. Tamim is the only Bangladeshi player to manage 500 runs at the Asia Cup.
# Tamim has managed 253 runs at an average of 63.25 in four matches -- the most by a Bangladeshi batsman in the Asia Cup 2012.
# Tamim has become the first Bangladeshi batsman to make 250 runs or more in an Asia Cup competition.
# Younis Khan became the third Pakistani fielder to take three catches in an ODI at the Asia Cup. Imran Khan and Umar Akmal were the first two Pakistani fielders to do so.
# Pakistan's exciting two-run triumph over Bangladesh is the smallest victory-margin at the Asia Cup, outstripping India's four-run win over Sri Lanka at Colombo (RPS) on July 27, 2004.
# Pakistan's victory is their 11th against Bangladesh in as many matches at the Asia Cup. Overall, they have won 21 and lost 13 out of 35 contested at the Asia Cup.
# Pakistan, for the second time, have won the Asia Cup competition. They had first won the said tournament, beating Sri Lanka by 39 runs at Dhaka in 2000.
# Bangladesh have lost both the ODI finals -- by 2 wickets to Sri Lanka in the Tri-Nation Tournament at Mirpur on January 16, 2009 and by 2 runs to Pakistan at the Asia Cup on March 22, 2012.
# Bangladesh (234/8) have recorded their highest total in a tournament final, surpassing the 152 against Sri lanka at Dhaka on January 16, 2009.
# Younis Khan has emulated Mahela Jayawardene's feat of 14 catches, sharing a fielding record for most catches in the Asia Cup.
# Shahid Afridi has received his 29th Man of the Match award for his all-round performance, setting a Pakistan record, bettering Saeed Anwar's tally of 28 awards.
# Mohammad Hafeez is Pakistan's top run-scorer in the Asia Cup 2011-12, managing 245 at an average of 61.25 -- the highest for Pakistan.
# Sarfraz Ahmed (46 not out off 52 balls) recorded his career-best innings in ODIs.
# Sarfraz's innings is the highest by a number eight batsman for Pakistan at the Asia Cup. It is the second highest, behind the 55 by Mohammad Tauqir (UAE) against India at Dambulla on July 16, 2004.
Photograph: Andrew Biraj / Reuters
