All eyes were on left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi as Pakistan trained for their blockbuster clash with rivals India at the T20 World Cup.
The South Asian neighbours face off in their opening match of the tournament in Melbourne on Sunday, with the weather likely to have the biggest impact. According to the Australian Bureau of Meteorology, there is a 70 per cent chance of rain in the afternoon and evening - when the match is scheduled to be played.
If the weather does relent, Pakistan quick Afridi - who is returning from a knee injury - will look for a repeat of last year's spell against India at the T20 World Cup in the UAE where his burst with the new ball set up a 10-wicket win for the team in green.
India captain Rohit Sharma said his team is better prepared this time. India's squad arrived in Australia more than two weeks ago, initially training in Perth in Western Australia before crossing the continent for a warm-up game against defending champions and tournament hosts Australia in Brisbane.
“We wanted to change a lot of things that went wrong for us in the last World Cup. We managed to get some of those things right, for sure,” Sharma said. “We are pretty much starting in a good position right now, understanding what we need to do as a team.”
Sharma said the bowling group and the batting group were clear on their strategies, and needed to be backed up in the field.
“It is now time to execute those plans, those ideas,” he said. “No team will be 100 per cent right but, as a team, we want to do as many things as possible right.”
