After putting in another match-winning performance with the ball, his third in as many games, that enabled Pakistan to avoid embarrassment against Canada at the Premadasa on Thursday, the man of the match took aim at the non-performers in his team and fired away at his batsmen.
"It was a very poor batting performance and the shot selection was bad. We are scheduled to take on good teams in the future and we need to improve. This should be a good wake-up call for us."
Pakistan were bowled out for 184 on a sluggish pitch that helped both pacers and spinners and Canada were in the match at a 104-3. Memories of Ireland four years ago at Kingston, Jamaica, flashed through their minds and Pakistan were looking for inspiration. It came from their keyed-up skipper as Afridi destroyed the associates with a spell of 5-23.
The man, who is leading the bowling charts with 14 wickets, didn't miss the point that the batting needs urgent attention. "On this pitch, we needed batsmen who could graft a bit. It was a different kind of surface to the one we played against Sri Lanka. It was cloudy and the ball was gripping the surface. We needed someone could bide their time. But no one did."
Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan have been doing the bulk of the scoring for Pakistan in this World Cup and this was an ideal time for the others to step up. Afridi admitted that it was a lost opportunity.
"I had a very good chance too. Umar Akmal also had a chance to score bigger as did Razzaq. We had enough overs to get a lot of batting practice and score enough runs to feel comfortable. But we couldn't. We need to address this issue seriously."
While the batting effort might have angered the skipper, he still was in the mood to crack a few jokes. He praised the UDRS and said he wanted more of it. "Cheez to bahut acchi hain (This is very good). Games swing because of one decision, outs become not outs and the reverse. It's a good thing. Do ke badle mein chaar kardenge to aage ke matchon ke liye accha hoga. (Instead of two, if they make it four, it will be better for the future games)."
Afridi has really worked hard on his bowling and has learnt all the nuances of a genuine leggie. When asked to analyse why he has been bowling so well of late, he said, "The conditions here are perfect for spinners. I'm also bowling wicket to wicket. Sometimes the ball will turn and at other times it will skid. It gives you a chance to get batsmen out leg-before. I try and keep things simple and bowl wicket to wicket.
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