We started off with losses in the practice games followed by defeat in the opener against England. However, the positive development was that not a single player lost his morale. The squad was united, each player had the identical aim [of winning the title for Pakistan] and this thing helped us in the latter stages,’ Afridi said in an exclusive interview with Dawn.
‘I shall also give credit to Younus who guided the team to an unexpected triumph.’ ‘The senior players took the responsibility at the right time while at the same time the exuberant juniors performed impressively which worked well for us,’ the dashing all-rounder who played a pivotal role in the final against Sri Lanka at Lord’s, added.
Afridi was all praise for his captain, noting the unbiased approach towards players was one of the best characteristics Younus enjoys. ‘Younus never considers from which province or city a player is coming. Quality performance is the top criterion for him to decide whether a cricketer deserves a place in the national team,’ the 29-year-old Afridi stated.
Batting at No 3 in the last four matches of the World Twenty20, including the semi-final and the final, Afridi hit the headlines, crafting vital knocks under pressure. In all, he scored 176 runs at an average of 35.20 in the World Twenty20 besides claiming 11 wickets at 13.45.
Asked how he batted at No 3, Afridi said he asked Younus to let him bat at the crucial position. ‘I discuss everything [related to the game] with Younus frankly. I thought I had no advantage in batting down the order in the world event. So, I asked the skipper to promote me which proved to be prolific,’ Afridi asserted.
On the forthcoming one-day series in Sri Lanka, the player known for his distinctively awesome use of the willow, said he would prefer batting at No 6. ‘In the 50-overs format No 6 is suitable for me as keeping wickets intact in the early stages in limited-overs cricket is imperative. While in Twenty20 I can bat top of the order, depending upon the need,’ he explained.
Afridi, replying to the query regarding limited-overs captaincy after Younus’s retirement from Twenty20, said, if offered, he would not decline, adding: ‘Captaining Pakistan [in limited-overs cricket] is a huge honour.’ However, the lively all-rounder — a veteran of 26 Tests and 276 one-dayers — underlined that Younus presently was doing a good job and that he should continue.
Answering a question on speculations of divisions in the team, which have gathered attention after shocking batting collapses in the ongoing Test series in Sri Lanka, Afridi said he didn’t know about any groupings. However, he underscored that if a player held any wrong intention for any other team member, he starts facing divine justice soon.