Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has demanded more consistency from his players as the team gears up for a series against Australia in England. "The key is for us to develop a habit of winning matches more regularly and consistently like other top teams including Australia and South Africa," Afridi told Pakistani TV channel from Birmingham.
Afridi, who will lead Pakistan in the Test series against Australia starting July 13, said he was delighted that the team was finally back to winning matches. "I knew sooner or later we will win back to back matches because we have been performing well since the Twenty20 World Cup but missed out in close matches.
"I think now that we have regained our winning habit we must work harder to maintain it and make winning a habit," he added. The flamboyant all-rounder said he would keep reminding his players that there was a big difference between Twenty20 cricket and Test matches. "There is a difference and we have to be aware of this. But the good thing is that a win is a win in any form of the game and this series win should serve a confidence booster for us ahead of the Tests," he said.
The Pakistan captain admitted that the Tests would be a much tougher challenge as Australia had more experienced and proven Test performers. "They are a very experienced and successful Test side so we have to be playing really well to beat them. We need to grab the opportunities that come our way to pressurise them," he added. Afridi said the team would miss the services of senior players like Muhammad Yousuf and Younus Khan in England. "Obviously we will miss their experience. I wanted them in the team for this tour and I tried my best to see they were in the team but for different reasons this couldn't happen and it is unfortunate."
"But one has to manage with the available resources so right now I am focusing completely on the team I have, on the new players because they are the ones who will fight for Pakistan in the Test matches and I retain confidence they can do this," he said.
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