Pakistan are at the World Cup to make history, star fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi has said ahead of the must-win match against Afghanistan on Monday.
“A loss is a loss and we need to accept it. But, learning from it would be better for the team,” he said in an interview with PCB Digital that was uploaded on X on Sunday. “These two matches were very important for us, but we are very much alive in the tournament. We are here to make history [by winning the World Cup].”
After two straight losses against Australia and India, Pakistan would continue their campaign in Chennai where they would face Afghanistan at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. Pakistan would stay in the city to play South Africa on October 27 for their second and last match of the tournament.
Pakistan stands in fifth position on the points table with two wins and as many losses. Pakistan holds the record for the highest successful chase in the history of the tournament, but they also had a few tough outings that showed their weakness in fielding and middle-order batting line-up.
But for Shaheen, who is playing his second World Cup, learning from the last two matches would help the side in the upcoming matches.
“We are aware of the expectations from the team and we are eager to fulfil them,” he said.
It would be Afghanistan’s second match on the trot here in Chennai. Despite losing against New Zealand, they are braced for a more “passionate” rivalry with Pakistan. They made an upset at the tournament by defeating England.
When asked, the right-arm fast bowler said that there was no room for complacency in the tournament as any team can beat anyone. He praised Afghanistan for playing good cricket.
“We will have to show up with the best skills against them. They have world-class spinners, but, thanks to Almighty, our batting unit has also been doing well.”
He admitted that like Chennai there were many spin-bowling-friendly venues. But Shaheen added that the fast bowling unit would focus on making the most of the reverse swing on offer in the middle overs and in the latter stages of the game.
The right-arm fast bowler was praised for his bowling against the Aussies as he was able to grab a fifer in Bangalore which was batting-friendly.
“I was aware of the fact that it is a high-scoring venue and I was mentally prepared for it,” Shaheen replied in response to his performance in the last match. “I tried different variations as you have to do to be successful on such pitches. So, bowling variations and pulling my length a little back helped me.”
Also, read this
Morkel says, ‘Pakistan put arms around Mir after catch blunder’
He went on to add that it was important to acclimatise as a bowler. “You do not get that much swing in India as you do in England, Australia, or New Zealand. There is not much bounce in the pitches here either, because of which we get to see high-scoring games here. So, being good in the field becomes of utmost importance as a couple of good catches or run-outs can boost your team.”
On Sunday, he also shared a picture on X on Sunday with the caption Pakistan Zindabad.
According to Shaheen, bowling in partnerships was also “crucial”. He looked forward to keeping the momentum in the next matches.
He shunned the impression that spinner Usama Mir should be blamed for dropping a catch of Australian batter David Warner at 10 who later pounded Pakistan by scoring 163 runs.
“Dropping a catch is part of the game. I think what is important is the effort and how much energy you put in when you are fielding and how much you enjoy it,” he said.
Shaheen added that it was Mir’s first game and admitted that sometimes such crucial catches were important.
“You cannot blame anyone because of one dropped catch. This is a team game and we win or lose as a team. What is important is that everyone continues to contribute to the team.”
