The semifinal loss to India in the World Cup continues to rankle Pakistan’s ODI captain Shahid Afridi who said it was a mistake to position himself in the lower-half of the batting order in the high-voltage game.
“I am not a born captain and I also make mistakes. I made mistakes in the World Cup particularly in the semi-final at Mohali. I should have gone up the order like Mahendra Singh Dhoni did against Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai,” Afridi said.
The flamboyant all-rounder said with Abdul Razzaq also available down the order, he should have taken a chance and promoted himself in the semifinal against India.He pointed out that India had one of the strongest and best batting line-ups in the world and when Pakistan bowled them out for 260, there was total silence at the innings break in the stadium.
Afridi also added, “I am learning every day as captain because it is a big learning process.”
The Pakistan captain also insisted that he was grateful to some former players and seniors such as Younus Khan, Kamran Akmal and Misbah-ul-Haq who had supported him.