Afridi: We are good cricketers, just need more self-belief

"We’re good cricketers, just that we need to have more self-belief," Afridi said when asked about his team’s performance in the Asia Cup T20 and the prospects for the upcoming World T20.

Published : Mar 04, 2016 23:17 IST , Mirpur

Shahid Afridi was happy that the reserve players in the team were given a chance ahead of the World T20.
Shahid Afridi was happy that the reserve players in the team were given a chance ahead of the World T20.
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Shahid Afridi was happy that the reserve players in the team were given a chance ahead of the World T20.

Pakistan failed to impress in the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament with just two wins, but captain Shahid Afridi today asserted that his side can deliver in the World T20 later this month with “more self-belief”.

“We’re good cricketers, just that we need to have more self-belief,” Afridi said when asked about his team’s performance in the Asia Cup T20 and the prospects for the upcoming World T20.

“That’s what helped us in the chase today. I don’t fall down easily, yes, it was tough but I’m confident the boys can deliver,” Afridi said after his side beat Sri Lanka by six wickets in an inconsequential match here.

“We had to change a few things, we worked hard and it helped today. We wanted to keep wickets intact in the first six overs and it worked,” he added.

Afridi was happy that the reserve players were also given a chance ahead of the World T20 in India.

“We’ve backed players, we did not want to tamper with too many things, but the selectors have done well to give everyone a sincere opportunity,” said Afridi.

Umar Akmal, Man-of-the-Match for his 37-ball 48, gave credit to his captain and team management for the win.

Waqar showed me a motivational video before the match: Akmal

“Credit to the captain, coaching staff and team management. (Coach) Waqar showed me a motivational video before the match. That fired me up. We wanted to sign off with a win, good to see some rhythm in our game before the World T20,” he said.

Injuries are the main issue: Chandimal

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal said his side played some good cricket overall, but injuries had impacted on their performance.

“Overall we played some good cricket. Injuries are the main issues, we haven’t been able to get the best combination as a result. Hopefully, players will recover in time,” he said.

Talking about today’s match, Chandimal said, “We were 10-15 short with the bat, that was the turning point in this game. It was difficult to grip the ball with this dew.”

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