“Limited overs cricket is about aggression and our players need to take that approach”

Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo

Newly appointed Pakistan Twenty20 captain Shahid Afridi has announced that the national team need to “shed their fear of defeat”.

“The main message I want to convey to the players is that they need to shed their fear of defeat and failure and play their natural game,” he said. “Limited overs cricket is about aggression and our players need to take that approach.

“T20 cricket is for courageous players and I am confident we have talent in the team which just needs to be encouraged and spurred on.”

Afridi, who was Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain from August 2009 to April 2011, also admitted that he was delighted to have been given another chance to lead his country.

“I don’t want to go into details or rake up the past,” he said. “But what happened than everyone knows and everybody knows what my performance as captain and player was.”

Afridi also confirmed that there is no more bad blood between him and head coach Waqar Younis.

“I was happy to see Waqar bhai a changed person on the recent tour to Sri Lanka,” he said. “The management was very supportive and I think we can now work well together for Pakistan cricket.”