The true Captains of the ICC World Cup 2011 – Part 3
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 had led the Pakistan team from the front and set the bench mark in terms of effort, composure and passion as he gained the respect of everyone who watched him play.
Even when the team around him did not perform at their best, Afridi still did what he did best and take crucial wickets. While the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kamran-Akmal-c70122 to unleash chaos on Pakistan, Afridi had taken the wicket
of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Martin-c74834 Guptill who looked threatening at 47 runs.
The fact that Pakistan crashed to a defeat against the Kiwi’s only doubled the pressure on the Pakistan side. The captain now had to prove that it was just a blip in their so far spectacular World Cup run and that under his leadership they could quickly
recover from any set-backs.
Against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045, Afridi guided the team and managed to secure their place in the knock-out stage of the competition, their first since the 1999 edition of the tournament.
Going into the game against defending champions http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746, Afridi was calm and composed as he told the world that his side had a plan to deal with the Australians. Many would have doubted any truth behind his words, as the Australian team had not been beaten
in the competition for 13 years.
Those doubters though had the tough task of eating their own words, as under Afridi’s leadership http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 became the first side to beat them since 1999 in the World Cup. Not only that, but they managed to restrict the formidable Australians to a score under
200 runs.
Whatever Afridi had planned not only worked, it did wonders. The win ensured Pakistan finished top of their group and a team that entered the World Cup with little expectation was now a serious force to be reckoned with.
Afridi led his side out to play in the quarter-final of the World Cup. The feat was an achievement in itself.
If anyone thought that Afridi would relax and feel like his job was done, they were in for a surprise. The Pakistan skipper was the source of his side’s inspiration once again, as the bowlers demolished the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760.
Claiming the crucial wicket of Ramnaresh Sarwan, when the West Indies seemed to have recovered after losing wickets early on, Afridi went on to claim three more wickets. Two of them coming off successive deliveries, as the Pakistan captain was on a hat-trick
chance.
In the end, Afridi had to settle for modest figures of four wickets at the cost of 34 runs. Not bad for a bowler in the quarter-final, but quite impressive if one is the captain.
What has to be one of the proudest moments of the Pakistan captain’s career Afridi led his team onto the Mohali pitch, where for the first time in years, the Pakistan national anthem was played in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/India-c750 and the green and white flag was raised at the ground.
A proud moment for anyone from Pakistan, but for Afridi it was even more so.
In what can only be described as the most anticipated match in cricketing history, Afridi set an example for his team to follow and inspired calm amongst his fellow team-mates when the world was shouting chaos.
[Continued in ‘The true Captains of the ICC World Cup 2011 – Part 3’]
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