Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi recently made some new fans on the other side of the border by asking an Indian supporter to straighten her national flag when posing for a picture.

Afridi's gesture, which he made during the Cricket on Ice event in Switzerland, warmed the cockles of many hearts. And now the cricketer has come forward to explain the motive of him doing so.

"We should respect the flags of other nations and that's why I asked them to hold their flag in a proper way," Afridi told newsmen in Karachi on Monday.

"I also wanted them to have a better picture."

Afridi talked about the future of Pakistan-India cricket relations, making it clear that the diplomatic problems between the two neighbours have little impact on the friendship the players from both the countries enjoy.

"The cricketers of both the nations want to play for the betterment of relations between the countries," he said. "We are ambassadors of peace and want to spread love and peace around the world. We all are good friends and had a great time playing Cricket on Ice."

Afridi also commented on the national team's recent ODI series whitewash at the hands of New Zealand, blaming a lack of practice on the players' part for the 5-0 loss.

"Before Pakistan went to New Zealand they had trained at the camp for just a day," he said. "When you know you are going to play with a tough opponent in tough conditions you should have practiced more."