SHARJAH: Shahid Afridi, the idol of many Pakistan fans and hero of many victories in the UAE, is the new captain of the Twenty20 team that will play against Australia in a one-off match on Sunday.
Afridi was at his eloquent best soon after his arrival at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium to play a day-night warm-up match. When asked about his team’s chances in the match against Australia, Afridi presented himself as a confident captain wanting to go for the kill.
“I am very positive. Luckily I have a very good management who are working hard. We have got a new bunch of guys and so I am confident that we will start off on a positive note by trying to win the first game,” he said to a question from Gulf News.
All eyes will be on Afridi at the Dubai International Stadium on Sunday, when he will be playing in his 75th Twenty20 International. Hailed as one of the finest players in this format of the game, the all-rounder is not bothered about whether his team has top players or not.
“It does not matter. All the players in my team have played a good level of cricket. Some are coming from India after some good performances in the Champions League. Cricket needs fresh blood on the field and I as a captain am very confident that my boys will deliver on the day,” he said.
“You need good body language and good effort and then the results will be positive,” added Afridi, who has scored 1,112 runs and bagged 77 wickets in Twenty20 Internationals.
“Every series is important because it is important to work out new combinations and we need to also do experiments. From my point of view and management’s point of view, every tour is important and, depending on the number of matches we win, our body language will also improve. This is very important, especially for the coming World Cup. Gaining confidence is a must.”
Afridi also hailed the Pakistan Cricket Board after it recently penalised Umar Akmal, Abdul Rehman and Hassan Reza, along with himself, for failing to reach the fitness levels required under their contracts.
“There has been an improvement of 15 per cent, though improvement is still eight per cent less and that will be quickly achieved. The PCB has set a good example, be it junior or senior, by stressing the importance of fitness, which needs to be high.”
When asked whether the absence of spinner Saeed Ajmal, who is undergoing remedial work on his action, will have a big impact, Afridi said: “We all know the importance of Ajmal but I am very confident about Hassan Reza, who is a fine spinner. We have a very good bunch of guys in the bowling line-up and I am very confident and positive about some of the guys who will play in the one-dayers as well.”
Afridi is also aware that Australia are without key players like Shane Watson, Michael Clarke and Mitchell Johnson, who may not bowl. “So with top players not there, both the teams are balanced and hence it will be a good game,” he said.
