Mirpur: He understands how important his own consistency is for the team but flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who scripted Pakistan's thrilling last-over win over India in the Asia Cup, finds it hard to stay for long knocks and says running for singles and doubles leaves him confused.
Afridi struck successive sixes in the last over to snatch a victory for Pakistan against arch-foes India on Sunday. The 34-year-old was candid enough to admit that his penchant for lavish strokes has often let the team down in crunch situations.
"I had played some stupid shots in the previous games to get out. I know that my batting is very important to my team, so I have to be consistent in my batting. It helps the team a lot. I had to play sensibly. I wanted to bring down the (target)," Afridi told 'Star Sports' after his 18-ball 34 yesterday.
"If I have 15-25 overs to bat, captain tells me to play singles and doubles. I become double-minded. It is not in my nature. The lesser the overs, I feel better and play better. I play single-mindedly. That's what makes me comfortable," he said when asked about his own game.
Reflecting on Sunday’s knock, Afridi said he was confident of pulling off big shots against off-spinner R Ashwin, who bowled the last over. "I knew that I could hit his carrom ball and I had spotted it. It was pulled back slightly but I connected it really well," Afridi said. "He had the field set on the on-side, keeping the fielders up on the off-side. I thought that if I could play through extra cover, I can find runs through that region."
