Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s Twenty20 International captain and a key member of the One Day International team, has promised to ramp up his batting form ahead of the two series against New Zealand.
The 34-year-old Afridi has been very effective with his fast leg-spin bowling in the shorter formats of the game, but his power-packed batting has lacked a punch in recent times.
For a man who scored three of his six ODI hundreds inside 53 balls (including the record of the fastest 100 in 37 balls which was broken earlier this year by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson), Afridi’s highest has been a 59 in 15 matches this year at an average of 21.5 in the ODIs. In the T20s, he is averaging 27.6 in eight matches this year.
And ahead of the two back-to-back T20 matches, which will be played Thursday and Friday at Dubai International Stadium, Afridi reassured his many fans in the UAE that he is looking to come good with the bat, especially with the Cricket World Cup just a couple of months away.
“No doubt I have concentrated a lot on my bowling for the last three-four years, and I do know that my batting is anyways a ‘once-in-a-blue-moon’ type of a batting,” said Afridi, whose last ODI century came against Bangladesh in June 2010.
“However, I want to make sure that I focus on my batting also because it is very important for me. There have been many matches in the past that I have been able to win for Pakistan on the basis of my batting alone.
While admitting that the focus is on the upcoming World Cup, and hence more on the five-match ODI series starting December 8, Afridi said they wanted win each and every match so that the confidence is maintained by the team members.
“I think the boys are feeling very confident ahead of the series and my side is a very well-balanced one,” said Afridi.
“You can’t compare the T20s with the ODI cricket. It’s a totally different format. But I think a victory, and to have a winning combination is very important. You feel more confident after a victory. Each victory and each game before the World Cup is important to us.”
Afridi welcomed the return of two of his experienced fast bowlers for the series, but played down the absence of Saeed Ajmal.
“Both Umar and Wahab have performed very well for Pakistan in the past. They are both looking very fit and they seem to be in good form. I am very happy to see them in the squad,” he added.
“I have always said that Saeed has been one of the best bowlers in the world. He has performed brilliantly for Pakistan. But if you look at the last series, our spinners have done very well despite his absence and played a very important role in our wins.
“I believe that Pakistan has got good bowling strength. We have bowlers sitting who are waiting for their chance to get into the team. It’s not as if we are struggling to find another spinner. I think we have always been blessed with good bowling combinations.”
