Afridi has no fears of playing in India
Source: Agencies |
March 16, 2011, Wednesday
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PAKISTAN'S captain Shahid Afridi said his team was happy to play its World Cup knockout stage matches in India despite earlier voicing concerns about security.
"It does not matter to us where we play our quarterfinal. The biggest issue for us was to qualify for the knockout stage and we have done that now," Afridi told Geo TV.
"We are ready to play our quarterfinal at any venue now," the experienced allrounder said.
The Pakistan skipper had kicked off a debate in Pakistan cricket circles earlier in the competition when he said that his team would like to avoid playing its knockout matches in India and preferred to remain in Sri Lanka.
Afridi had reasoned that playing in India would bring more pressure on the players because of the tense relations between the two nuclear-armed nations.
"That is a thing of the past. Right now we are just happy to make the quarterfinal and if we remain in our confident mode then it does not matter where our quarterfinal venue is," Afridi said after an apparent change of view.
Pakistan's former captain Imran Khan had criticized Afridi for publicly airing his views on not wanting to play in India.
"If I had been in his place I would have announced we are ready to take on India in India because there is more pressure and expectations on the Indian team," Imran Khan had said.
India will host one quarterfinal, a semifinal and the final of the World Cup.
Afridi's men sealed their last eight place on Monday with a rain-affected win over Zimbabwe in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Asad Shafiq shone on his World Cup debut with a cultured unbeaten 78.
"It does not matter to us where we play our quarterfinal. The biggest issue for us was to qualify for the knockout stage and we have done that now," Afridi told Geo TV.
"We are ready to play our quarterfinal at any venue now," the experienced allrounder said.
The Pakistan skipper had kicked off a debate in Pakistan cricket circles earlier in the competition when he said that his team would like to avoid playing its knockout matches in India and preferred to remain in Sri Lanka.
Afridi had reasoned that playing in India would bring more pressure on the players because of the tense relations between the two nuclear-armed nations.
"That is a thing of the past. Right now we are just happy to make the quarterfinal and if we remain in our confident mode then it does not matter where our quarterfinal venue is," Afridi said after an apparent change of view.
Pakistan's former captain Imran Khan had criticized Afridi for publicly airing his views on not wanting to play in India.
"If I had been in his place I would have announced we are ready to take on India in India because there is more pressure and expectations on the Indian team," Imran Khan had said.
India will host one quarterfinal, a semifinal and the final of the World Cup.
Afridi's men sealed their last eight place on Monday with a rain-affected win over Zimbabwe in Kandy, Sri Lanka. Asad Shafiq shone on his World Cup debut with a cultured unbeaten 78.
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