KARACHI, June 24 A rousing welcome was accorded to World Twenty20 heroes Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik and Fawad Alam who arrived here from London on Wednesday.
A large number of fans, KCCA organisers, friends and relatives received the three players at the Quaid-i-Azam International Airport.
Players were garlanded amid thunderous slogans of Pakistan Zindabad.
Afridi, who won the Man of the Match in the semi-final against South Africa and also against Sri Lanka in the final, was the focus of attention.
Speaking to the media, the all-rounder was all praise for Younis Khan's captaincy and said his confidence in players helped them to excel in the event.
“Younis' confidence in allowing me to bat at number three proved a vital factor in our victory,” he told reporters at the airport. “It's a great win and it came because of the prayers of the nation and fine efforts of the players,” Afridi commented.
“This sort of victory was badly needed in current scenario and we are happy to achieve the feat for our country,” he said.
“I dedicate my performance in the World T20 Championship to all the victims of Swat, soldiers who lost their lives and the parents who lost their children,” the Shahid Afridi said.
“I don't know why Younis retired from T20. It would have been better for Pakistan if he retained the T20 captaincy,” Afridi added.
Afridi added that he was a bit worried with his batting form at the start “but my contribution with the ball kept my hopes alive.”
He said that the catch of New Zealand player Styris which he took was a crucial one and described as one of the best catches of the tournament.
He praised coach Intikhab Alam also saying, “He [Intikhab] is a nice person and played his role well in the tournament.''
However, he emphasised that he was more interested in scoring runs and was delighted to regain batting form in the semi-final and the final.
“I was eager to regain batting touch. It came at the right time and contributed in team's success which is very satisfying,” he maintained.
The players are due to leave for Islamabad later this afternoon to attend a dinner reception hosted in the team's honour by Prime Minister Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani later on Wednesday. —Agencies