Afridi vows to shine in ODI series

KARACHI: Buoyed up after his match-winning show in Pakistan’s Twenty20 clash against Sri Lanka in Hambantota on Sunday night, Shahid Afridi is eyeing similar outings in the five-match One-day International series getting underway in Kandy from June 7.

Playing his 50th Twenty20 International, Afridi hit a vital 52 and then bagged two key wickets to help Pakistan level the two-match series with a 23-run victory.

Pakistan will need more such contributions from their top pro in the one-day series and Afridi says he will go all out to do that.

“It was great that we managed to bounce back to win last night’s match from a difficult position,” he told ‘The News’. “The win gives us a boost ahead of the one-day series and I’m confident of giving my best in it,” added the former Pakistan captain, easily the most accomplished player in Pakistan’s limited-overs squads.

Afridi’s heroics in Hambantota earned him the man-of-the-match award but more importantly it silenced some critics, who were beginning to question his place in Pakistan’s Twenty20 line-up.

“I don’t care what they (the critics) say about me,” he said. “Even the greatest of cricketers go through lean patches which is why I’m always looking ahead. I try to come out tougher after every failure.”

Mohammad Hafeez, Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain, announced after Sunday night’s match that Afridi’s knock turned the tables in Pakistan’s favour.

“The innings Shahid Afridi played was the difference,” Hafeez said in his post-match comments. “He took us to a fighting target. I was always confident of defending 123, especially with our bowling attack. It was a blessing for me having so many wicket-taking bowlers like Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal. Sohail Tanvir was in good form too coming into this game. I always knew that as long as we put in a good fielding effort, we could certainly defend this score.”

Hafeez was also pleased with an improved display from his side after a poor outing in the first T20 game. “We took our chances. Sri Lanka also dropped a couple but we too made similar mistakes in the first game,” Hafeez said. “It was a complete team effort and everyone was keen to win the game.”

Hafeez was all praise for pacer Mohammad Sami, who took three key wickets in the match.

“Sami showed great character today to bounce back from a disappointing start in his comeback game,” Hafeez said. “I had mentioned earlier that this is part of a new outlook by the team where if some players are making a comeback, it’s crucial to give them confidence. The coach and myself gave him that confidence and he delivered.”

Mahela Jayawardene, Hafeez’s Sri Lankan counterpart, was happy that his batters received a tough time in the match.

“It was a good toss to lose in the sense that we got a chance to bat second and see how difficult it was. It was good match practice, we managed to give opportunities for a few players who have done well. It’s healthy for us knowing we have more options going into the World Cup.”

Jayawardene believed his batters will have to do better against Afridi’s legspin bowling.

“We should have played him a bit more sensibly, rotated the strike more. Our shot selection wasn’t great at the end. I thought till the 13th over, we were pretty much in control, but played two overs for two runs and lost wickets after that.” –With inputs from agencies