http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482: Captain. Leader. Legend.
After the convincing two wins over http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricket team has finally united under Captain Shahid Afridi. It was only a few months that there was unrest in the Pakistan camp and their ability to win was being questioned. Yet the team united under Afridi showed a brilliant display, they were clearly the better team and the Australians didn’t stand a chance. Since the moment the teams took the field, there was no doubt about who would emerge as the victor. Pakistan had a somewhat aggressive approach in both the matches and it worked as they completed a 2-0 win over the hard working Australians.
The Australians were rightly cautious from the start, but that did not stop the in-form Pakistanis from completing two impressive wins. Having won the toss both times, Pakistan chose to bat first, setting the bar for Australia. In the first match, Afridi failed to impress with his batting as he made no runs. The highest scorer for Pakistan was Umar Akmal, with 64 runs, earning him the Man of the Match award. Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik came second with 23 and 21 runs respectively. Pakistan made a total of 167 runs, which the Australians could not catch up to, falling short with 144 runs.
The second match was different though, Afridi only managed 18 runs, but it was his fast paced bowling and the leadership skills that he displayed. The Pakistan bowlers made it impossible for the Australians to increase their pace and catch up to the 162 run mark. The main challenge for Afridi as captain in this series was to unite the Pakistan team and get results out of them. He managed that well; he knew the strengths and weaknesses of his team, which he used to the teams advantage. He saved his best bowlers for the final overs, Aamer, Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal. All three of whom delivered.
Before the series, Afridi had encouraged the inclusion of youngsters in the squad and had encouraged the return of Shoaib Akhtar. Akhtar has not displayed consistency in his previous performances, but given the chance he proved the critics wrong. While he only managed one wicket, his bowling kept the Australian batsmen on their toes. Another player whose inclusion Afridi had encouraged and approved performed brilliantly, youngster Muhammad Aamer. Aamer managed his first wicket in the first innings for the second evening in a row. He has the unique ability to bend the ball at a considerable pace while controlling the swing, which makes him one of the most destructive bowlers in the world.
Afridi was very attentive to his teammates while they were playing, often walking up to them after every ball. He would offer words of encouragement and patiently give instructions, even when the bowlers weren’t performing their best. This victory over the Australians was important for Pakistan, not only bringing the team together but also giving them confidence ahead of their two match Test series, which starts next Tuesday. Coach Waqar was proud of the team’s performance but was cautious, "[It is] still early days. It is a good start. A win always gives us the momentum".
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