Shahid Afridi believes Pakistan is heavily dependent on individual brilliance

After Pakistan’s enthralling win against the Sri Lankans in the virtual quarterfinal yesterday at Sophia Gardens, Cardiff, Shahid Afridi came out and stated that the men in green are currently over-dependent on individual brilliance of a player and lack teamwork, especially after witnessing the fantastic knock from their captain,

Pakistan defeated the Sri Lankans in a see-saw battle and eventually booked their spot in the semi-finals. After some brilliant work from their seam trio of Hassan Ali, Mohammad Amir, and Junaid Khan, Pakistan were favourites to chase down the Sri Lankan total, especially after the opening partnership between Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali.

However, it got a bit too close for comfort for the men in green as they kept losing wickets at regular interval. The onus was then on Sarfraz Ahmed to steer the team towards the semi-finals. He was well supported by the debutant Faheem Ashraf and the temperament of Mohammad Amir. Shahid Afridi pointed out the fact that had it not been for their captain’s brilliant knock, Pakistan was looking at a sure defeat from nowhere.

Pakistan relying on individual brilliance

“The fact of the matter is that despite a heroic victory, Pakistan had to once again rely on individual brilliance to pull the team out of the doldrums. There were no demons in the Sophia Gardens pitch, yet Pakistan crumbled in a heap after a blazing start by Fakhar Zaman and Azhar Ali.” wrote Afridi in his column for cricket.com.au.

“Pakistan’s senior men need to come to the party if they are to score a win. Sarfraz handled the pressure magnificently although he was incredibly lucky with two dropped chances – especially the one put down by Thisara Perera off Lasith Malinga which broke the Sri Lankan spirit.” added the 37-year old.

“One of them needed to carry the burden today and take the team past the victory target. Unfortunately both fell in quick succession while Azhar Ali also failed to make use of a fine start, which put the lower-order under enormous stress.” pointed out Afridi. Pakistan has to come up with a better performance against the quality of England in the first semi-final tomorrow.

Fakhar Zaman an asset for Pakistan

Shahid Afridi wants the seniors to play with a free mind like the new-comer Fakhar Zaman, “ I really hope that the seniors can take a leaf out of Fakhar’s book and play with a free mind. Fakhar has been a revelation and once again played with an uncluttered mind. I feel that he has to work hard against the short ball since teams with a strong pace battery are likely to exploit his weakness against the rising ball.” weakness against the rising ball.”

“Fakhar must be handled carefully by the management as he can be an asset in the future and must be persisted with even if he fails for a few matches,” concluded Afridi.