ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s former daring all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi has said that Pakistan captain Babar Azam should lead the team fearlessly and make bold decisions for victory in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in the West Indies and USA 2024.
In a podcast by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Digital Team with the T20 World Cup 2009 winning team members released here on Tuesday, Shahid Afridi said all senior players should back skipper Babar Azam, adding that he was confident the current Pakistan squad could make to the final of the mega event. The playing conditions in the West Indies and the United States will suit our players a lot, adding that Pakistan have the services of excellent fast bowlers and spinners.
The PCB podcast celebrates 15 years of the team’s victory in June 2009 and the ICC T20 WC 2024 also happens to be played in June. Younis Khan-inspired Pakistan peaked at the right time to win four straight matches to win the title on June 21, 2009.
Reminiscing on his exploits in the ICC men’s T20 World Cup final in 2009, Shahid Afridi, known as Boom Boom Afridi to cricket fans, said the bold decisions of the captain helped the Pakistan team win the ICC Men’s T20 WC 2009.
“Captain Younis Khan called me one evening during the 2009 World Cup in England and asked me to bat up the order as the team needed it. I submitted to his wish,” Afridi said, adding that the decision of captain paid dividends as I won back-to-back ‘Player of the Match’ awards in the semi-final and final of the 2009 T20 World Cup.
The Men in Green won the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2009 under the captaincy of Younis Khan. Shahid Khan Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Amir, Umer Gull, Kamran Akmal, Saeed Ajmal, Misbah ul Haq and Abdul Razzaq were the stars for Pakistan in the tournament.
On individual goals, the former captain said a good player looks for opportunities to make a mark on the big occasions and comes out as a hero, adding that “I took the opportunity for myself and availed it.” Shahid Khan Afridi won back-to-back player of the match in the semi-final against South Africa and, later, Sri Lanka in the 2009 final.
He further said attitude and focus count a lot in the international arena, stressing the need for small contributions to achieve big goals. ‘Small extraordinary contributions from an individual player on the given day are vital to the success,’ Afridi said.
Misbah ul Haq said that the team carried the scar of losing a close final of the inaugural ICC T20 WC to India in 2007 and the year 2009 whetted the team and the individuals to do well on the bigger stage. He said the team trained at Bhurban in preparation for the marquee event in England, adding that the beginning of the tournament was not good but the team gelled very well and achieved the goal.
“It was an emotional final for me as well as I could not finish well in the 2007 final against India. Demoting himself, Younis Bhai sent me up the order to hit winning runs in 2009,” Misbah recalled fondly.
Misbah ul Haq was upbeat that the Pakistan team has an edge over many team as the conditions in the West Indies suit us more than others, adding if Pakistan could make it to the final in Australia in 2022 in quite foreign conditions, why not here as well.
Shoaib Malik, who captained the Pakistan side in the 2007 T20 World Cup, recalled how Younis Khan handed him the trophy soon after receiving it in 2009 as he knew that I could not lift the trophy in 2007.
The heroes of the 2009 T20 WC winning team Shoaib Malik, Saeed Ajmal, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammad Amir, speaking to the PCB podcast, expressed the hope that the Pakistan team was capable of winning the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
