Afridi begs team to send him out on a high

Pakistan

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has begged his team-mates to pull out all the stops at the World Cup in the Antipodes next year, so they can shake off the reputation of being inconsistent and break a 23-year wait.

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has begged his team-mates to pull out all the stops at the World Cup in the Antipodes next year, so they can shake off the reputation of being inconsistent and break a 23-year wait.

Pakistan last won the World Cup in 1992, when Afridi was 12, and he implored his team mates to help him win it this time, as it would be his final such event, given he's already nearing 35.

He told <i>The Dawn</i>: "I can vividly remember that it was the holy month of Ramazan and the entire nation was behind the team. People were praying for Pakistan's success while offering their daily prayers.

"The forthcoming World Cup could be my last in the 50-over format. We need to back each other because it is not the trophy that matters but we want to make our countrymen happy once again after so many disappointments."

Former Pakistan skipper Intikhab Alam was the manager of the 1992 side, and he added: "We never let ourselves down even after we mustered three points after five matches.

"I can recall that every time we got together for team meetings, I always stressed on the team not giving up. This was my philosophy of achieving success in life."

Pakistan

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