MOHALI, India — Pakistan batsman Shoaib Malik Thursday vowed his team will do all it takes to pull off a win against Australia and give skipper Shahid Afridi a winning send-off at the World Twenty20.
Afridi, who no longer plays Test and one-day cricket, has hinted at an imminent retirement from the game after being criticized for his side’s disappointing show in the marquee tournament.
Pakistan has lost two of its three group matches and another defeat against Australia in Mohali Friday will throw it out of the competition.
“This is going to be Afridi’s last World Cup. I respect him a lot, he is like an elder brother to me,” Shoaib said at the pre-match press conference.
“Nobody will be happier than me if we can win this World Cup for Afridi.
“Every player is trying to give 100 percent. Winning or losing is not in our hands, but each one of us is taking responsibility and trying to give our best,” he said.
Veteran Afridi has played 97 T20 internationals and scored 1,391 runs while taking 97 wickets.
Shoaib, 34, said the team was looking at plugging the loopholes and come out firing against Australia, which has one win and a loss from two outings so far.
“Our first goal is to win tomorrow. We missed out on scoring singles in our last game. Nobody is perfect. We are trying to improve our skills,” he said.
A win against Australia is the minimum Pakistan needs to keep its tournament hopes alive. Shoaib also sought to dismiss talk of friction in the Pakistani dressing room, blaming the team’s poor performance for the speculation.
“Nobody talked about a rift in our camp in 2009 when we won the World T20. Six of us were not talking to each other, we still won. When you lose games, all the talk starts.”
Akram calls for overhaul
Fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram has said the team had been exposed in all departments and was miles behind its competitors. Speaking to Pakistan’s The News, he said: “I mean we have not been doing anything right.
“In (the New Zealand) game Sharjeel’s knock was the only silver lining and to some extent Sami’s bowling. Otherwise we were really bad in all areas.
“Our cricket is 10 years behind the modern game. We are lagging behind teams like New Zealand because we haven’t updated or upgraded our system. You can’t keep repeating your mistakes and then expect different results.”
Watson to quit int’l cricket
Australian all-rounder Shane Watson will bow out of international cricket after the World Twenty20 in India, cutting the team’s last link to its golden era in the early 2000s.
The 34-year-old blond quit Tests last year after losing his battle against a spate of injuries that plagued his career, and has not featured in a One-Day International since September.
“One morning I woke up in Dharamsala, waking up to the beautiful view and I don’t know what it was exactly but I knew now was the right time,” Watson told reporters in Mohali.
“I’ve really enjoyed my time being back in the Australian squad. But it is quite different, none of the other guys I played with growing up are here any more,” he added. — Agencies
