Afridi backs Pakistan to perform under pressure

MOHALI, India (AP):

Skipper Shahid Afridi isn't worried that his Pakistan players might be intimidated by an intense atmosphere at today's World Cup semi-final against India. He thinks it will work in Pakistan's favour.

A sell-out of crowd of 28,000 - the vast majority supporting the host country - will include the prime ministers of both countries and many other dignitaries and VIPs. A record TV audience exceeding one billion is expected to tune in for the match.

The Pakistan team includes several young and inexperienced players like 20-year-old Umar Akmal, but Afridi backed them not to crack under the pressure.

"I know they will enjoy the crowd,'' Afridi said of his players. "In the pressure, you enjoy what you are doing. Definitely, you will perform more. The coaches are doing a great job with the youngsters and all of my senior boys are always talking to the youngsters about how to handle the pressure.''

Pressure appeared to inspire the Pakistan team in the quarter-finals. Expectations were high after Afridi's team ended the 34-match unbeaten run of Australia to finish top of Group A, but they followed it with a ruthless 10-wicket thrashing of West Indies.

The stakes have been raised beyond all imagination for a semi-final against bitter rivals India and Afridi appeared to shift the burden of expectation on to the opposition.

"We are not the most favourite team for this competition, India is the most favourite team,'' he said. "We have played above expectations. We are very confident and we are enjoying our cricket.

"The main thing is to know how to handle the pressure. We don't need to panic under pressure.''

Political significance

Pakistan are playing their first match in India since 2007, and while Afridi's counterpart Mahendra Singh Dhoni attempted to play down the political significance of the game, Afridi embraced it.

"Playing in India is a big occasion for us,'' he said. "We always want to play and enjoy here and the people of both countries want to see us play each other. Cricket has always helped improved relations. We should get to see good cricket tomorrow, irrespective of the result.''

The Pakistan squad was given the day off yesterday, an unusual move on the day before a match, but one that meant they could stay in the relatively peaceful surroundings of their hotel as the intense build-up continued at the stadium and elsewhere in the city.

"We have worked hard,'' Afridi said. "We wanted an off today to save strength for tomorrow. It is something different, but there is no harm in trying that.''