After three mediocre performances with both bat and ball, Shahid Afridi finally came good — albeit against the minnows, the Netherlands — and carried Pakistan through to the Super Eights of the ICC World Twenty20.
His career-best four for 11, the fourth best bowling figures in international Twenty20, was labelled as the difference between the two sides by the Dutch captain, and spared Pakistan’s blushes of exiting yet another tournament in the group stages.
Showing no signs of complacency after a thumping victory, Afridi vowed to deliver an improved performance in the next three matches against Sri Lank, New Zealand and Ireland.
“Judging by the performance on Tuesday, I think a lot will depend on my performance in the next round,” Afridi told Dawn after a training session on Wednesday at The Oval. “The team needs me and I’m fully aware of that and that is why I will be focussing a lot on improving my individual performance in the next round.”
It was difficult, according to Afridi, for the team to adjust to the English conditions and the pitches, with a lot of squad members totally alien to these conditions. On the other hand, players from other team benefiting from the recent IPL trip, had a huge advantage as the pitches in South Africa were remarkably similar to what the ICC World Twenty20 is witnessing.
“I think the Pakistani players were unfortunate to miss out on the IPL as it would’ve benefited us greatly. It’s not easy to arrive in England and start playing our natural game
straight away. It took time for us to get acclimatised to the conditions and as we move into the business end of the tournament, we will be able to deliver what is expected of us.”
While his performance with the ball came as a huge relief for Pakistan, Afridi as a batsman has yet to shine for his team in the tournament so far. No wonder then, that he appears desperately keen to put things right. “I’ve not been able to bat to my ability as I’ve often arrived at the crease with only a few overs to go. I wanted to carry my UAE form and strategy into these matches where I would have a few overs to settle down before attacking. However, that has not been possible on the tour so far and that is why I’ve made it quite clear to my captain that I can be, and am well-prepared as always, to be utilised at the top of the order if the need arises.”
Of the three Super Eight matches Pakistan will be playing, two of them will be at The Oval, the ground where Pakistan was handed a nine-wicket loss against India in the second warm-up followed by a 45 run defeat at the hands of the hosts England. Despite the two results at the venue, keeping in mind the Oval debacle of 2006, Afridi shrugged aside notions of apprehension.
“No matter what the location is, we need to come good in all departments of the game. Super Eights is where the real challenge begins. We will now see how good our team really is,” Afridi concluded.
© Faras Ghani 2009
Published in DAWN newspaper June 12, 2009
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