ICC World Cup 2011: http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 dreams of final against India
Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi wants arch rivals India and Pakistan to play the final of the ICC World Cup 2011, which gets underway from 19 February.
The veteran all-rounder said, “There is a possibility that Pakistan and India play the final of the World Cup and if that happens it would be ideal for the World Cup, one-day format and for the game of cricket.”
Both http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and Pakistan are in different groups for the World Cup and there is a possibility that the two teams may meet in the quarter-final stage of the mega event.
However, Afridi hopes that India and Pakistan can avoid each other until 2 April, when the final of the mega event will be played.
India are currently ranked number two in ICC ODI rankings and many former players and cricket experts have tipped the hosts as the favourites to lift the trophy for the second time.
On the other hand, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 have been struggling for form since their win in the 2009 Twenty20 World Cup. However, they have some players in their squad who can win them matches single-handedly.
India have a very good record against Pakistan when it comes to playing in the World Cups. The hosts of the mega event have beaten Pakistan four times so far and the closest encounter between the two teams was seen in the 1996 edition which India won by
39 runs.
Last time both teams played against each other in an ICC event was in the Champions Trophy 2009 which Pakistan won by 54 runs.
Afridi said that both India and Pakistan will have to play top-class cricket in order to reach the final of the mega event. He further stated that they will be looking forward to defeating India in the World Cup and end their losing streak against the arch-rivals.
There are speculations that the Hindu fundamentalists may be a threat to the Pakistan team. However, Afridi played down this threat and said that both countries have always come closer when they play against each other and the 2011 World Cup will be no different.
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