We shouldn`t have lost an ODI to Zimbabwe: Afridi

Karachi: Flamboyant allrounder Shahid Afridi has said that losing the recent One-day International match to Zimbabwe did not befit the status and reputation of the Pakistan team.

Afridi, who returned home after featuring in the T20 and ODI series in Zimbabwe said he and the other players were extremely disappointed after losing the first game of the three-match series. "It came as a shocker to all of us because given our reputation, status and ranking we certainly shouldn`t have lost to Zimbabwe," Afridi said. The player came under the glare on returning home when he snubbed the waiting media at the Karachi airport and walked off to a waiting car. But Afridi explained that he returned home with high fever. "I have recovered now but we need to learn from the defeat to Zimbabwe. The good thing is the players hit back hard to win the remaining two matches of the ODI series and played according to their potential," he said. He joked that at one stage it appeared as if Pakistan were pitted against a top team like Australia. "The fact is we took Zimbabwe to be a weak side and underestimated them and we paid the price for our complacency on the field," he added. Afridi said given the reputation of the Pakistan team it should have played with more aggression. "Unfortunately we didn`t do that and we ended playing according to their pace. But we have some world-class players and it is good we got this series before we play South Africa," he said. The allrounder said that the series against South Africa would be a tough one and there would be no room for mistakes. "I think we have a good chance of redeeming ourselves in the Tests against South Africa." South Africa completed a clean sweep in the three-match Test series played earlier this year at home. PTI