http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 has proven that he leads from the front, as he has done brilliantly in the World Cup. He was the leading wicket taker during the mega event by picking 21 wickets.
In spite of losing the crunch match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 by 29 runs in the semi final, the way he has performed his duties to combine the team which was facing number of controversies, is exceptional. This impressive captaincy by Afridi
has provided new hope to the shattered Pakistani side, as team Pakistan has started believing in themselves. Therefore, Afridi received a welcoming and positive response from the nation on his return to Pakistan.
Afridi has gelled Pakistan’s team together which is evident in the body language of the team.
The skipper said after the semi-final, "I am proud of my team and the boys have done a great job in this World Cup. A few of the youngsters are very promising and we played as a unit. Winning and losing is something different but
we really played really good cricket and no one was expecting us to play cricket like this. As a captain I'm very happy."
The men in green won six out of the eight matches they played in the World Cup. Pakistan brought down http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 comprehensively in the quarter final.
Afridi led his side positively in the mega tournament. He was playing to win.
Afridi added, "We have played better than those sides [of 2003 and 2007] and they were good sides. We didn't have much hope from this side but I have respect for my team".
The Pakistan Cricket Board handed over the captaincy to Afridi because there was no other choice available at the time. Afridi’s career as a captain started in 2009 in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 against West Indies in the Champions Trophy. He
has played 29 matches as the One Day International captain. Under his captaincy, Pakistan has 15 victories and one ended in no-result. The 13 losses under his captaincy included some thrilling and exciting matches.
In the World Cup matches, Pakistan played under Afridi’s captaincy and he took 21 wickets in 8 matches. He was the man of the match twice, once each against Sri Lanka and http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Canada-c748.
Boom Boom also has done a great job by bringing together many senior players like Shoaib Akthar, Abdul Razzaq and Younis khan, who had not gotten along with the team in the past. Afridi also encouraged the youngsters in the squad
which definitely lifted the team spirit and energy.
On paper, Afridi's record as captain is notable with 15 wins and 12 losses in 28 games (and one no-result). Results have been in his favor and apart from these figures; he has gathered the team in the most difficult times. His
impact on the team is wonderful. Boom Boom always encourages and motivates the team which makes him such a vital character in Pakistani cricket.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 Cricket Board has decided to retain Afridi as skipper of Pakistani side for the upcoming tour of the Caribbean. This is great decision indeed which will help team Pakistan to become a top side.
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