Shahid Afridi: “Tell your boys to get the trophy; the whole nation stands behind you. It’ll not only be a big win for us but a tight slap on the face of [the] BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)”
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Shahid Afridi, the legendary all-rounder, said if Pakistan were to win the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India, it would be a “tight slap on the face of [the] BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India)”.
Pakistan have only won the 50-over World Cup once, which came back in 1992 when Imran Khan was captain.
While it will be tough for the men in green to replicate that famous achievement, Afridi noted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should tell the players they will be heroes of the nation if they were to accomplish it.
“Tell your boys to get the trophy; the whole nation stands behind you. It’ll not only be a big win for us but a tight slap on the face of [the] BCCI (Board of Control for Cricket in India),” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“Go to India, play decent cricket and claim the win. This is it; we have only this option resorted to ourselves. We are supposed to go there, land back with the World Cup and give them a clear message that we can go anywhere and bag the victory.”
Pakistan will now take on Afghanistan in a three-match ODI series in Sri Lanka from August 22 to 26.
After that, they will feature in the Asia Cup, which will be held in Pakistan and Sri Lanka from August 30 to September 17.
Pakistan Squad for Afghanistan ODI Series and 2023 Asia Cup:Â Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel (Afghanistan series only), Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr