27 February,2011 08:11 AM IST | | AFP
Captain Shahid Afridi said Pakistan had sent out a clear message of intent to their World Cup rivals after beating Sri Lanka by 11 runs in a tight Group A encounter yesterday.
Pakistan scored 277 for 7 in their 50 overs with Misbah-ul-Haq hitting an unbeaten 83 and Younis Khan scoring 72 before restricting the home team to 266-9.
"That was a big game and the boys all knew how big that game was," said Afridi, praising Misbah and Younis for "very mature cricket".
Afridi, who took four wickets for just 34 runs in his 10-over spell to earn the man-of-the-match award, said the pitch offered "beautiful conditions" for both pace bowlers and spinners
He added that his team would put a sloppy fielding performance behind them.
"The boys were a little bit relaxed but we should tell them this is cricket, you don't, especially on a stage like this, relax. But I know that they will definitely do better in the upcoming games," Afridi said.
"I think it's a great message for other teams that we will come harder and harder game by game."
A disappointed Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakarra praised his bowlers for keeping the Pakistan score down but said losing a clutch of wickets at the wrong time hurt them.
