Pakistan limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said he has an intuition that his team will lift the coveted 2011 World Cup trophy.
"I'm never comfortable with making predictions but I must say that my heart tells me that it is going to be our World Cup. That's because the team is playing well and the boys are fully motivated and really hungry for World Cup glory," the Daily Times quoted Afridi, as telling a website.
The ODI skipper said that his team's morale was high ahead of its opening match against Kenya in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday.
"We have played a lot of cricket in the last eight or nine months but thankfully our players are fully fit and the level of energy is high amongst them. I have great expectations from all of my boys - the seniors and the juniors," he said.
"Senior players like Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will have to inspire young kids like Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq to give their best. For the seniors, it will be one more opportunity to tell the world that Pakistan's cricketers are among the best in the world. For the juniors, it will be a perfect platform to get the sort of breakthrough they deserve," he added.
Afridi also said he thought it was good for Pakistan that "we won't go into the World Cup as favourites because that would ease a lot of pressure off our shoulders."
"But it doesn't mean that I agree with the experts. As a member of the Pakistan team as well as its captain I'm confident that we can do it. We can bring back the Cup home," stressed the allrounder.
Afridi also asked his countrymen to rally behind the team, saying that their support could propel them to bag the World Cup glory.
"I derive a lot of strength from the fact that our people are really supporting us. Public support has always been a major factor behind Pakistan's success in the sporting arena. I still remember the 1992 World Cup when people's prayers turned out to be a major factor behind Pakistan's success as they came back from the jaws of elimination to win the title," he said.
The ODI skipper said that his team's morale was high ahead of its opening match against Kenya in Hambantota, Sri Lanka, on Wednesday.
"We have played a lot of cricket in the last eight or nine months but thankfully our players are fully fit and the level of energy is high amongst them. I have great expectations from all of my boys - the seniors and the juniors," he said.
"Senior players like Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar and Umar Gul will have to inspire young kids like Umar Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad and Asad Shafiq to give their best. For the seniors, it will be one more opportunity to tell the world that Pakistan's cricketers are among the best in the world. For the juniors, it will be a perfect platform to get the sort of breakthrough they deserve," he added.
Afridi also said he thought it was good for Pakistan that "we won't go into the World Cup as favourites because that would ease a lot of pressure off our shoulders."
"But it doesn't mean that I agree with the experts. As a member of the Pakistan team as well as its captain I'm confident that we can do it. We can bring back the Cup home," stressed the allrounder.
Afridi also asked his countrymen to rally behind the team, saying that their support could propel them to bag the World Cup glory.
"I derive a lot of strength from the fact that our people are really supporting us. Public support has always been a major factor behind Pakistan's success in the sporting arena. I still remember the 1992 World Cup when people's prayers turned out to be a major factor behind Pakistan's success as they came back from the jaws of elimination to win the title," he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment