An open letter to Shahid Afridi

Dear Skipper,

We have witnessed you brutally thrash bowlers out of the park; we have seen you dismiss the best in business with your shooters, flippers and googlies and take the most difficult catches on the cricket field.

You have been our darling for more than 14 years. Every time you whack the cricket ball into the open skies, we hold our breaths. You gave us reason to dance on the streets of Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta with your performance in the Twenty20 Cup, 2009. And you made us proud as you went on to score the fastest one day century in your second ODI match.

As the World Cup 2011 officially opens, we have our eyes set on you once again.

Skipper, we want this cup – not just because we are a cricket-mad nation. We, the Pakistan cricket fans, want it because for years, we have been disregarded, ignored and overlooked.

We were stripped of our right to host this World Cup. Our players weren’t allowed to appear in the lucrative Indian Premier League and our domestic structure failed to impress us with something near to its caliber. And then, all-too-familiar controversies continued to rock our cricketing world.

Bringing this cup home would do a great deal for the survival of the game of cricket in this region. You started playing cricket after gaining inspiration from the Imran Khan-led team in 1992; this cup will inspire younger generations and give birth to future-legends. Who could know this better than you?

We know winning the final is not in your hands alone. Therefore, we don’t demand your team win; rather that you give 100 per cent on the field. We have faith in your abilities and know that you can beat any team when you unleash your talent.

Given the turmoil that Pakistan cricket has gone through recently, even playing the final in Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium would be considered an achievement. But bringing the cup home would silence those who for a long time have continued to undermine Pakistan’s cricket.

We pledge unconditional support to your team for the next 45 days; we pledge that if you win, we will celebrate.

We wish to see our flag hoisted with pride and to witness our national anthem being sung in the final on April 2, 2011. May our wishes come true, and may your squad of 15 players bring glory to the nation by winning this World Cup.

Pakistan Zindabad!

Sincerely,
A Pakistan cricket fan

Winning WC will revive cricket in Pak: Afridi

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi today said his team is desperate to lift the World Cup so that international cricket can finally return to his country, which has become a pariah due to the volatile security situation.

Pakistan was one of the co-hosts of the ongoing World Cup but a terror attack on the visiting Sri Lankan team in 2009 prompted the ICC to take away its hosting right of the mega event.Afridi said if his team wins the World Cup, international cricket could get revived in the country.

"Not playing in our country is on our minds," Afridi said on the eve of Pakistan's first match against Kenya tomorrow.

"We feel for our nation, our people who are missing the World Cup. I think this is the main thing for us, so definitely we will try our level best to win, which is very important for us, and if we do that I hope some cricket returns to our country sooner than later," he added.

Pakistan's cricket team has more often than not found itself at the centre of weird controversies, with Afridi himself serving a two-match ban for biting a ball during a Test match. But the flamboyant all-rounder said the team has gotten over the turmoil and is now a solid line-up.

"Pakistan will be a dangerous side in this World Cup. I take this World Cup campaign as a challenge. No one is considering us to make the semi-finals. It's a big challenge for us and I want to see my team making the semi-finals," Afridi said.

The last World Cup was a disaster for Pakistan as they made a first-round exit following their defeat to Ireland, and the next morning, their coach Bob Woolmer was found dead in his hotel room in Jamaica.

A few weeks back three Pakistani cricketers, including former captain Salman Butt were banned from international cricket for their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy.

But Afridi insisted that controversies are a thing of past now.

"It was difficult in the beginning when we had all those issues. We had to rebuild and we had to lift the team again, but now a situation has come that our team is now settled and we have a good combination that people now have hopes that this team can do something," he said.

Kenya started their campaign on Saturday in disastrous fashion when they were bowled out for 69 runs against New Zealand and lost by 10 wickets.

Afridi, however, said that he wouldn't let intensity levels drop against the Kenyans, who created a massive upset in the 2003 World Cup by reaching the semi-finals.

"I love Kenya and Kenyans," said Afridi.

"I don't think we will be relaxed in any way. The first match in any tournament is important. There are a number of examples when big teams have lost. So the first match is very important and I want to play with full strength," he added.

The Kenyans had a scare this afternoon when their skipper Jimmy Kamande got hit on the cheek while batting in the nets, but he's expected to take part in tomorrow's game.

"We are here to play good cricket and be competitive.

It's good to hear that the opposing captain has respect for the Kenyan team. I'll pass that message to the boys so obviously tomorrow the guys will be pumped up," all-rounder Steve Tikolo said.

Tikolo was disappointed with Kenya's display against New Zealand, but expected his side to raise its game against Pakistan.

"A top professional for me is if you are down it's the way you pick yourself up. We lost the game against New Zealand and it wasn't a good day for us," he said.

"But the good thing that came out was that the boys were very disappointed, that shows the mark of good professionals.

Always we can pick ourselves up for tomorrow's game," Tikolo added.

Afridi: We are well settled now

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi believes his players are now "settled" ahead of their ICC Cricket World Cup opener against Kenya in Hambantota.

The 30-year-old all-rounder admitted it had been hard to keep the team in the right frame in the wake of the spot-fixing allegations that dogged their tour of England, but reckons they are now back on track.

"It was difficult to keep the team settled in the beginning when we had all those issues," he said.

"We had to rebuild the team but now a situation has come that our team is settled.

"We now have such a combination that people have hopes that this team can do something."

He added of Wednesday's unfancied opponents: "I love Kenya and Kenyans.

"I don't think we will be relaxed when we face them. I would like to be playing at our full strength."

Despite the suspensions of Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir for their involvement in the spot-fixing controversy, the Pakistan side still oozes class with bat and ball and, with Afridi rested from the last warm-up game, he should be fit and firing on Wednesday.

The 1992 champions should be mindful of overconfidence heading into the clash, though, after their 2007 campaign ended in controversy and tragedy following their group-stage loss to Ireland and the death of coach Bob Woolmer.

After a 10-wicket humbling at the hands of New Zealand in their opening game on Sunday, Kenya will be desperate to prove they are capable of being competitive at this World Cup.

But, with limited assets at his disposal, coach Eldine Baptiste is likely to stick with the same line-up tomorrow.

Kenya captain Jimmy Kamande says his team are ready for the challenge of facing Pakistan and is hoping for a better performance than two days ago.

He told www.cricket-kenya.com: "We are not changing much. All we need to do is keep focused and give our best tomorrow against Pakistan.

"Once the World Cup starts there is always not much time between games.

"However, we have had two years of preparation before the tournament started, and all we need to do now is to sort ourselves out mentally."