Result is all that matters for Afridi Hungry for win

Dubai: Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi displayed how he can transform his team into a winning unit during the first Twenty20 Cool & Cool Cup match against New Zealand on Thursday night at the Dubai Sports City Cricket Stadium.

His aggressive approach was clearly visible on the field and he went for the kill right from the start. Pakistan recorded a comfortable 49-run win over New Zealand. While talking about the victory he revealed how he approached the game and executed his plans.

"We lost the one-day series and so we badly wanted to win this game. We all know how important it is to win these two Twenty20 matches. My boys are keen to win here," remarked Afridi, oozing with confidence.

When asked about Imran Nazir's return to the team, he bluntly said: "I believe that players whenever they get a chance must perform. If he does well in Twenty20 cricket then he will continue."

Afridi's answers revealed his no-nonsense approach, too. To a query whether injuries to the New Zealand players make it easy for him, Afridi said: "As far as I am concerned they are eleven players and we are also eleven players. It does not matter who is injured and who is not injured. My task is to motivate my team to perform well and win the match."

Despite many posters addressing him as "Boom Boom Afridi" and his fans screaming for sixers, he did not go for the big shots. He hit 24 runs off 16 balls.

Why did he bat slowly unlike his past knocks?

"Being a captain my responsibilities have increased and the situation was such that I did not want to go for my shots. I was more concerned about setting a good target. We wanted to post a total of over 150 runs. If I stayed on until around 15 overs, then I was sure that we can get a total of around 180 runs.

"However, the total of 161 was good enough."

Would he have elected to field if he won the toss? "I would have batted first had we won the toss. They must have expected the ball to seam a bit. Shane Bond bowled really well but Imran Nazir ... gave us a good start."

Nazir, who bagged the man of the match award for his quick knock of 58 studded with four sixes and five boundaries, said: "I wanted to perform at my best for my country and I am happy I could do it."

For Nazir, this innings was special because it was his first match-winning knock after returning to the Pakistan team from the unsanctioned Indian Cricket League (ICL). He was included in the team after Pakistan Cricket Board had pardoned him for playing in the ICL.