Afridi inspires team with speech before T20 win over Lankans
Shahid Afridi shone with bat and ball on his debut as Pakistan's Twenty20 captain to steer the world champions to an emphatic 52-run win over Sri Lanka hereu00a0 yesterday.
Afridi smashed 50 off 37 balls in Pakistan's 172-5, then claimed 1-21 in four economical overs and effected a run out with a direct throw as Sri Lanka were shot out for 120 with 11 balls to spare.
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A sell-out crowd of 35,000 at the overflowing Premadasa Stadium watched the first T20 match between the two teams since the World Twenty20 final in England in June, when Pakistan beat Sri Lanka by eight wickets.
Sri Lanka lost wickets at regular intervals with skipper Kumar Sangakkara the only batsman to offer resistance against the fired-up Pakistanis with 38 off 31 balls.
Afridi, who was man of the match in both the semi-final and final at the Worlds, once again won the award as Pakistan ended an otherwise dismal tour of Sri Lanka on a winning note.
Afridi hit two sixes and four boundaries after taking over the Twenty20 team from Test and one-day skipper Younis Khan, who has retired from the shortest format of the game.
"I told the boys before the match that we are world champions and so we should go out there and play like champions," the 29-year-old Afridi said.
"I am an aggressive captain and I wanted the whole team to play aggressively. That is what we did and I must congratulate the whole team for a fantastic win."
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