When you think of pyrotechnics on a cricket ground, the name that first crops up in the mind is that of Shahid Afridi.

The Pakistani all-rounder’s already legendary status soared as high as some of his sixes when he first blasted India out of the ongoing Asia Cup in Bangladesh and then repeated his feat against the hosts to put his team in the final where they take on Sri Lanka.

In the process, Afridi not only gained a few million converts – cricket lovers who in the past were deeply suspicious of his talent and attitude – but also ensured that he will be a permanent fixture in the Pakistani side for some more time to come.

It seems like ages when he first burst onto the international scene as a 16-year-old in 1996 when he blasted a world record One Day International century off just 37 balls against Sri Lanka. His record stood for a whopping 18 years and was only broken recently by New Zealander Corey Anderson who took a ball less to reach his century against the West Indies.

That Afridi is someone blessed with supreme athleticism is not a matter of doubt. At the age of 34, he is still the fittest player in the Pakistani side and one of their best fielders. His leg-break bowling has proved more than handy, as his 378 wickets in 377 matches prove, but it’s his ability to provide some heart-in-the-mouth moments that attracts fans in droves to cricket grounds.

It’s admittedly a risky proposition, and it beggars belief that nobody has so far died of a heart-attack when Afridi was on one of his countless hit-or-miss escapades.

The match against India in the Asia Cup was tailor-made for someone like Afridi who, like all Pakistani players, relishes the challenge of engaging their arch-rivals and neighbours. And considering the current situation between the two nations which doesn’t encourage more frequent cricket matches, it’s only natural that no quarter is given or taken when they get to clash at a neutral venue.

As it turned out, Afridi came out a winner against India by clouting the last two balls of the innings from Indian spinner R. Ashwin for sixes as frenzied celebrations broke out all over Pakistan.

He was not finished, however, as Bangladesh paid a heavy price a couple of days later when he knocked them out with a stunning assault during which he scored the second-fastest 50 in ODIs.

The million dollar question on every cricket fan’s mind now is whether Afridi would cap the tournament with another blinder resulting in a Pakistani victory in the final against Sri Lanka on Saturday.

Surely, there’s something called the law of averages, the Sri Lankans may be thinking. But do such laws apply to Shahid Afridi, who after all comes from a proud Pakhtun tribe that prefers to live by its own code? We will know in a few days.