Pakistan's limited-overs captain Shahid Afridi has said that his dream of winning the coveted World Cup trophy for his country is on its way to becoming a reality as he led his team to a thumping victory against the West Indies in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
"It's my dream to do something for my country. It's my dream to help Pakistan win the World Cup and today all of us are extremely happy that we have taken another step towards that direction," The News quoted Afridi, as saying.
He expressed his confidence that his team, which registered a 10-wicket win against the Windies in the knockout stage, would maintain its golden form in the March 30 semi-final match.
"I'm confident that the team will maintain its form in our next match," said the seasoned allrounder.
Afridi took four wickets for 30 runs to take his tally in the tournament to 21, becoming Pakistan's most successful bowler in a World Cup. Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan owned the previous record with 17 wickets in the 1987 tournament.
But the skipper made it clear that personal goals were not important to him.
"It's all about the team and Pakistan," he said. "We are here to give the best for our country and each and every player in our team is trying to do that."
Pakistan may encounter archrivals India in the semi-final stage, if the co-hosts beat Australia in Thursday's quarterfinal in Ahmedabad.
Expectations are high in the cricket-crazy region for a mouth-watering Pakistan-India clash for a slot in the World Cup final match to be held at Mumbai on April 2, but Afridi said that he would not be losing sleep over it.
"It doesn't matter if we play India or Australia in the semifinal," he said.
"The good thing for us is that we are going to Mohali and now our aim is to win a place in the final. I'm confident that the team will maintain its form in our next match," he added.
