Shaheen Shah Afridi optimistic of lifting T20 World Cup trophy

SYDNEY: Pakistan's left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi has expressed optimisim about lifting the T20 World Cup trophy, he said in a media talk after the Men in Green qualified for the decider of the mega event.

Pakistan entered the T20 World Cup final by defeating New Zealand by seven in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

“It’s a good opportunity for us to lift the trophy which is why we are confident about winning the final,” Shaheen told the media in Sydney.

He said that both the other semi-finalists, India and England are good teams who have played some excellent cricket.

The two teams are facing each other in the second semi-final and the winning team will take on Pakistan in the finale on November 13 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground.

The Men in Green set the tone at the Sydney Cricket Ground with some razor-sharp fielding and disciplined bowling that restricted New Zealand to just 152-4.

In front of 36,443 strongly pro-Pakistan spectators, Rizwan (57) and Azam (53) took apart the Black Caps´ renowned bowling attack in a 105-run opening stand, and despite a nervous finish after both fell, they completed a deserved victory with five balls to spare.

“Once we [Pakistan] reached the semi-final, we knew that it is a good chance for us to go all the way,” he said. “The credit for the victory [against New Zealand] goes to the entire team.”

The lanky pacer also brushed aside the criticism that the Pakistan team faced after losing their first two matches of the T20 World Cup.

“I don’t pay too much attention to critics. They get paid to sit on television channels and talk about Pakistan team,” he concluded.

After going wicket-less in the first two matches, against India and Zimbabwe, Afridi bounced back to claim 10 wickets in the next four appearances.

The left-armer is currently the joint highest wicket-taker, 10, for Pakistan in the tournament with Shadab Khan.