ICC World T20: Match against Australia could be my last, says Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi

New Delhi: Giving clear indications about his retirement from T20Is, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Tuesday said that next game against Australia in the ICC World Twenty20 could be his swansong.

Afridi made this statement immediately after Pakistan faced defeat at the hands of New Zealand by 22 runs on Tuesday at PCA stadium, Mohali.

"That (the match against Australia) could be my last," Afridi said at the post-match presentation ceremony.

A day before, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had already said that it had reached an understanding with Afridi that he will retire after the tournament.

Afridi, 36, felt that Pakistani batsmen didn't play well and were the main perpetrators behind the loss against Black Caps.

"First of all, want to congratulate him (Williamson). The bowlers bowled well in the middle, we played well in the first 6 but after that we didn't. Easily we could have scored more than 6 but we didnt.

“We tried to hit the ball, tried to go for the boundary and we played a lot of dot balls. We still keep repeating the same mistakes, every game we are making the mistakes. We have to forget this game and focus on Australia," said the skipper in post-match conference.

On the other hand, New Zealand captain Kane Williamson said 180 was a good total to defend.

"It's nice to play on a really good surface, the batting unit played their roles really nicely and the bowlers pulled it back nicely after a tough start. Slightly above par, 180 wicket on any wicket can be a touch chase," Williamson said.

With three wins on-the-trot, Kiwis cruised into the semifinals of the tourney.

Opener Martin Guptill set the tone for NZ in the match with his scintillating 48-ball 80 against Pakistan.

Man of the Match, Guptill, said that adopting aggressive approach worked in their favour.

"A bit of tightness in the hamstring (reason for being off the field). We found early that the wicket was good than what we have been playing on. Wanted to be aggressive and it paid off for us. Got to keep playing the same way, we got enough power in our batting line-up to keep going. The new ball came on a bit more, hopefully we can keep it going," said Guptill.

(With PTI inputs)