Nottingham, Saturday 20 June 2009: The man from the mountains comprehends much about the ups and the downs. Shahid Afridi has seen it all.

He has steel in his bones like most men from Pakistan’s North-West Frontier Province. It is a rugged terrain where the Pathans have learnt to survive.

Controversies, loss of form, and a tendency to self-destruct have threatened Afridi’s career but he has willed his way through the rough weather. He is a survivor.
Match-winners with his explosive ability come rare. Skipper Younis Khan realises Afridi’s worth.

Acknowledged Afridi after clinching the semifinal against South Africa at Trent Bridge, “He (Younis) has backed me. He had told me earlier that I could bat at No. 3 at some point so I was mentally prepared. When your captain is supportive, your belief grows,” said Afridi.
The all-rounder added, “He also told me you can bat the way you want to. So there was no pressure on me.”

Afridi declared, “I enter the ground to win. The last three years I have concentrated on my leg-spin but I can still bat if the team needs me.”
Earlier, Pakistan’s wily coach Intikhab Alam had said, “You need to let Afridi play his natural game with the bat. If you tell him one thing, he will play the opposite way! He will get confused.”