Team pakistan- All the best for Semi Final

A semi final match of ICC World Cup 2011 between Pakistan and India  will be played at Mohali on 30th March 2011. It will be a clash of nerves and luck. Both teams are playing well and have enough talent to challenge each other. India has the benefit of home crowd and ground. Lets hope a houseful crowd at Mohali will watch a good game of cricket.

People are forecasting the result of this much hyped and eagerly awaited semi final. According to some at Mohali five matches were played between Pakistan and India and Pakistan were the winners in all five. On the other hand Pakistan have never won a single match against India in the history of ICC World Cup. But there is always a first time! Keep your fingers crossed

Geoff Lawson who has coached Pakistan in recent past says “Pakistan have played some good cricket, their guys look really good… and it could be a Pakistan-New Zealand final”

Our very own Rashid Latif puts weight behind India against Pakistan and says “India in India are favourites, there is no doubt,” but i think the better team on the day will win.

Ricky Ponting goes a step further and claims that “They(India) will beat Pakistan in the semifinal and go on to win the World Cup now,” At the moment Mr. Ponting! I doubt your prediction. If a Pakistani gives statements of the sort he will definately face trial on the charges of ‘match fixing’. We will take one game at a time as Afridi said!

Imran Khan says “Pakistan bowling is superior but India’s batting is better. It will depend on the killer instinct, on that ability to seize the opportunity when the opponent makes a mistake. Both teams have it.”

As they say ‘when going gets tough,  the tough gets going’. It was true for Pakistan who were  in the middle of all the negative things in the game of cricket. They have been one of the stand-out teams so far in this tournament and now find themselves just one match from their first World Cup final since 1999. Pakistan’s team spirit and Afridi’s inspirational role has been  the notable features of their run to the semifinals.

I wish Team Pakistan to stay focused and united. This match is not end of the world but I hope the end of match brings this radiant and brilliant smile on Afridi’s (and every pakistani’s) face Inshallah.

Boom boom Afridi

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Shahid Afridi

Pakistanis love Shahid Afridi and are ready to forgive him for everything. Afridi  instantly won the hearts of every Pakistani when he scored the quickest century years ago. We loved him even if he threw away his wicket or tried to eat the ball! Because  his body language on the field shows his sincerity to the  team and to the  country.

With years of experience behind him we accept and pray that he proves to be the right choice to captain Pakistan. Pakistan’s legendary former captain Imran Khan spoke out in support of Shahid Afridi on Friday, saying the all-rounder should be given a long innings to stabilise a team hit by controversy.

“Afridi should be given a long run as Pakistan captain,” Khan told AFP, saying that frequent rotations at the top destablise the team.

“Who else if not Afridi?” said Khan.”I think if they had made anyone else captain, problems would surely have persisted, so I think Afridi was the best choice available.” Read more.

Afridi!  do not defame your team mates in public, you are the captain, talk to them personally. Define rules before the match begins and no blame game afterwards. If you do not want them to look at girls, tell them. Best of Luck!

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Afridi & kids

Dressing room atmosphere

Though Pakistan began the T20 World Cup with two consecutive losses in the warm-up matches, they lifted their performances remarkably during the crunch games. Afridi’s energy was one of the reasons for the transformation as he lifted the team on several occasions with his sensible batting and lethal bowling.
Asked to rewind the dressing room atmosphere, he said: “Before the World Cup we played four one-day international matches against Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. We did well against the World champions and the performance lifted our morale. When we arrived in the UK, we played two warm-up games against India and South Africa. Though we didn’t win, we performed well in both the matches.

“Besides, all the senior players took up responsibility. We all realised that the World Cup is a global event and we should try our best to win it for the country. We face several problems on the domestic front. So we were focused to win it for the people of the country.

“The senior players, including Younis Khan, Misbah-ul Haq, Umar Gul and me, decided that we should take up responsibility rather than leaving it to the young guys. We all realised that if senior players perform up to their potential, definitely we have a chance to win. In every team there are three or four match winners. We all were motivated and keen to win the cup.”

Bowling success

Afridi is more renowned for his 37-ball one-day international hundred, but he has transformed himself as a match-winning leg-spinner of late. He bagged 11 wickets at an economy-rate of 5.32 in the Twenty20 World Cup. He admitted he worked hard to remain competitive as a bowler. “I started my career as a bowler. I used to bat at No.9 initially. For the last three years, the captain didn’t use me in the right position as a batsman. I played on almost all position — from No.1 to No. 9. So I decided to focus on my bowling. For the last three years, I totally focused on my bowling. But the people want to see me more as a batsman. Despite some failures in batting, I was focused to do well and talked to myself that I should prove my worth as a batsman as well.”

Controlled agression

Afridi’s batting didn’t click in the first three matches (he scored 5, 13 and 0) in the T20 World Cup, but he reinvented his batting form when it mattered the most. The innings in the semifinal and final were much different from the usual ‘boom-boom’ Afridi style. He changed his carefree attitude for the betterment of the team and it paid rich dividends. “As senior players we have to take up responsibility. During the team meeting we were firm that we don’t want to miss this golden opportunity. I told myself that there is no need to worry even if I miss some balls as I realised it is important to stay at the crease and play a big innings.”

Batting position

The promotion of Afridi to the top of the batting order worked wonders for Pakistan as Afridi recollected how it all happened. “I told the captain that I am doing nothing down the order as a batsman. Now with Abdul Razzaq back in the side, there is less pressure even if we lose one wicket. So I asked him for a chance to go up in the order. For the last four games, he gave me a chance and I performed well as a batsman.”

Asked whether his postion at the top would be permanent, he replied with a smile: “In Pakistan any thing can change.”

Captaincy hopes

Afridi, now a senior player and touted as the replacement for Younis Khan, is not much bothered about captaincy, though. “Playing for Pakistan is a big honour. Performance is important whether you are a captain or a player.”

Test beckons

Considering the maturity Afridi showed in the T20 World Cup, Afridi would have been an ideal choice for the all-rounder’s spot in the Test squad for the ongoing Sri Lankan tour.

“I was in the squad for Sri Lanka, but I told the selection committee chairman that I want some rest after the matches in UAE and World Cup. Test fitness is different from one-dayers. I told him that I will definitely play Test cricket.”

He also voiced his concern over excessive cricket. “Cricket is not sports alone. Now it is more a business. Now the career of a fast bowler is over in 6-7 years.”

Remembering Woolmer

The Pakistan team, after their T20 title triumph, dedicated the title to their former coach Bob Woolmer. Afridi also aknowleded the role played by Woolmer in shaping his career. “He was very close to the players. He always allowed me to play my natural game. He used to tell me ‘Go and play your game. Don’t worry about singles and twos. Play your natural game. You are a match winner’. He knew how to handle and talk to players.”

pradeep@khaleejtimes.com

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