'Afridi showed character'

After a comfortable victory against Bangladesh in their ICC World Twenty20 Super 10 Group 2 match yesterday, Pakistan batsman Mohammad Hafeez said that skipper Shahid Afridi had showed his character in guiding the side.

Afridi -- who has had heavy criticism levelled his way and has also had cases filed against him for 'treason' over recent comments -- led the way at Eden Gardens with a 19-ball 49 as his team eased to a 55-run win yesterday.

"It's great to see someone who was under pressure from the media and others to come up with this kind of performance. It shows the character that he [Afridi] has," Hafeez said at the post-match press conference.

"He was under pressure because of his performances, but he always comes up with these performances and brings a smile back to his fans' faces and contributes in the team's wins," Hafeez, who himself scored a half-century, said about his captain.

"It's great to see him play shots everywhere. The fans love it and we love it. We know he can take the game away from the opposition. It's great to see him return to form with the bat and ball also."

"It was an important game. We came here late but we played a good game and got our confidence back. This was the start we wanted," he concluded.