Afridi sets sights on revenge as England tour kicks off

Pakistan embark on their three-month long tour of England today with a Twenty20 against the MCC XI and captain Shahid Afridi has firmly set his sights on beating Australia to not only take their revenge but also end their losing-streak against them.

According to Afridi, accomplishing that task would be tough but not impossible as the team had regained a lot of confidence following the 2010 World Twenty20 and the Asia Cup.

“It’s not impossible to beat Australia, they are not invincible,” Afridi told The Express Tribune prior to team’s departure from Colombo to London. Following a whitewash on the tour of Australia - three Tests, five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) and a one-off Twenty20 - Pakistan also lost twice to the ODI World Champions in the World Twenty20. “It’ll be my first target to beat the Australians. If we don’t repeat our mistakes, we can easily overcome them on this tour.”

Pakistan will play two T20s against Australia at Edgbaston before taking them on in as many Test matches at Lord’s and Headingley.

Afridi pointed at Australia’s frailty against England in the ongoing ODI series as a confidence-booster for the series.

“Australia have shown their vulnerability by losing two matches against England. We’ll go all out to win the T20s to gain the upper hand prior to the Test series,” said Afridi before adding that fielding was still Pakistan’s cause for concern and the team was still working hard to improve in that department.

“We’re working very hard when it comes to fielding. Every player is given a video of his fielding performance after every match to rectify his mistakes. The coaches, too, are also helping the players overcome their weaknesses.”

Pakistan failed to qualify for the final of the Asia Cup, losing to hosts Sri Lanka and India in close finishes but Afridi insisted that the losses had not jolted the team’s confidence.

“We’ve showed good improvement. We’re taking positives from Sri Lanka and hopefully we’ll start winning.”

Pakistan’s first task will be lining up against the MCC side that includes left-handed legends Brian Lara and Sourav Ganguly. Afridi, instead of showing apprehension, saw it as a chance for his younger team members to learn and take tips from the greats.

Following the T20 and Test series against Australia, Pakistan will take on the hosts in four Tests, two T20s and five ODIs on the tour that concludes on September 22.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2010.