Shahid Afridi Speaks in Favor of the National Team

KARACHI: Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has thrown his weight behind the Pakistan men’s national team following their ODI series towards England, which concluded with a three-wicket win for the hosts at Edgbaston, Birmingham on Tuesday. The series gave England a 3-0 series win.

Shahid Afridi, who represented Pakistan in 27 Tests, 398 ODIs, and ninety-nine T20Is in a 20-year-long and distinguished international career, feels the players need the help of the fans and critics while they’re down after a terrible performance.

“At present, the players representing the Pakistan national team are the best we have in terms of talent and ability. These players have performed consistently in recent times, in fact, some of them have been performing for a considerable time period. These are our best players, they are the ones whose talent we have to utilize. We need to keep them motivated and hungry for success. We need to support the players in tough times, as a cricket fan and former player. I can accept the team losing as long as they fight it out on the field. I feel that cricket has changed a lot in recent years. Now, the attack is the best defense and there is no way to succeed other than by playing with attacking intent, especially in the white-ball formats.”

He said Pakistan players are good at either attacking or blocking. “Maybe, we need to find a middle way, especially for the ODI format. All our players need to back their abilities and play on their actual strength.”

Shahid Afridi, who performed a leading role in Pakistan’s ICC World T20 2009 victory, feels the current aspect has the potential to match the exploits of the Younis Khan-led 2009 side, especially since the tournament is taking place in the UAE where Pakistan have performed lots of cricket with success against some of the leading teams in the world.

“In the UAE, we have an excellent record and have done very well against some top-ranked teams and that augurs well for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Spinners and batters will have a prominent role to play in the UAE conditions. If the ball starts to reverse, then we’ve got the capability of being the very best, if we play to our strength, we have an amazing chance of winning the tournament.”

Shahid Afridi concluded that he stays dedicated to fitness and cricket, and would continue to play franchise and club cricket as long as he’s enjoying the game and remained fit, as this was the desire of his late father. Shahid Afridi additionally expressed his desire to work with age-group players as a motivator while sharing the experiences of his cricketing journey.

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