MOHALI: Mohammad Hafeez says his Pakistan squad is on a mission in its rare foray into India, where it hopes a World Cup semifinal win will help revive international cricket at home.
Pakistan will play India in the border state of Punjab on Wednesday for a place in the World Cup final at Mumbai on April 2.
“We want to play good cricket and put in good performances so that we can present the strong nation that Pakistan is to the world.”
It will be Pakistan’s first cricket match in India since before the November 2008 terror attacks in Mumbai, which killed 166 people in India’s financial and entertainment hub and has been blamed on Pakistan-based extremists.
Pakistan was stripped of its rights to co-host this World Cup after a separate terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team’s convoy en route to a test match at Lahore in 2009, and no international team has toured there since.
Hafeez hopes a win at Mohali can change that.
“Obviously, not having the World Cup in Pakistan is a big disappointment for the people of Pakistan and for the players as well, but whatever decision the ICC has taken, we are doing what we can do as players,” the 30-year-old all-rounder said Saturday.
“We want to play good cricket and put in good performances so that we can present the strong nation that Pakistan is to the world.
“We want to tell the world that as a nation, we are strong enough and, God willing, international cricket will resume in Pakistan. That’s what we are trying to do _ send out a strong message.”
Hafeez, who has played an influential role as an opening batsman and in his relatively unfamiliar capacity of bowling off-spin with the new ball, doesn’t think there’s any extra pressure on Pakistan in India.
Wins over Sri Lanka and Australia in the group stage and a thumping quarterfinal win over the West Indies have silenced the critics who thought Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan squad would be too burdened by a tumultuous buildup.
Three key players were banned for their part in a spot-fixing scandal, sparked by a British tabloid newspaper expose in the test series against England last August. But the remaining players have rallied around Afridi and coach Waqar Younis and, Hafeez says, worked extra hard in the buildup to the tournament.
“If you are playing the semifinal of the World Cup, there will be pressure, but since we have worked really hard, I don’t think there is any extra pressure on me or on the team because we are playing against India,” he said.
“We have made things easier by thinking only about that particular day and trying to make sure we win the day,” he added.
“We are enjoying our cricket and supporting each other. It’s that unity and backing each other which is the key to our success.”
Pakistan, the 1992 World Cup winners, have lost all four World Cup games against India, but Hafeez chose to reflect on the positives.
“Whatever has happened is history,” he said.
“Yes, Pakistan has not defeated India in the World Cup, but in the last 11-12 years, Australia also had not lost a single World Cup game … then they lost to us and to India successively.
The semifinal has been billed as a clash between Pakistan’s bowling and India’s batting.
Afridi leads the wicket takers during the tournament, and has excellent support from seamer Umar Gul.
The Indian batting contains the likes of Sachin Tendulkar and Yuvraj Singh, two of the stars of the tournament.
“We rely on (bowling) heavily, but our batting too has met the requirements in this tournament,” he said. “We may not have scored big runs, but the team wins when the batsman delivered what was required.
“Just because you make big runs doesn’t mean your team will win. If all batsmen play their roles according to the situation, that’s when you win matches.”
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