Afridi learns to respect bowler

Revealing the secret of his sizzling form in the just-concluded Twenty20 World Cup, Pakistan's flamboyant all rounder Shahid Afridi has said giving respect to bowlers helped him to be among the runs in England.

Revealing the secret of his sizzling form in the just-concluded Twenty20 World Cup, Pakistan's flamboyant all rounder Shahid Afridi has said giving respect to bowlers helped him to be among the runs in England.

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Afridi said he struggled with the bat in the past because he was not according proper respect to bowlers.

"I thought I could take on any bowler and I showed no respect to them. That is why I was struggling to get runs," he said in an interview to a private television channel.

Afridi said during the World Cup he spoke to his captain and coach, who advised him to take his batting seriously.

"I decided then that I needed to show respect to the bowlers and be patient at the crease. I realised that you can't attack the bowlers all the time and you need to take your time to settle down," he said.

Afridi played stellar roles in the semi-final and final against South Africa and Sri Lanka respectively, guiding his team to the T20 World Cup win.