Cricket | Twenty20 | Afridi: Pakistan is ready despite late arrival

Pakistan’s late arrival for the World Twenty20 due to security concerns raised by the Pakistan Cricket Board has not hampered the team’s preparation, captain Shahid Afridi said yesterday.
“We were practicing over there,” Afridi said after a practice session. “Physically and mentally we were ready, that we will go definitely. Sport always brings two nations together. Can there be anything better than cricket?”
The Pakistan team’s departure was delayed after the PCB asked for security assurances from the Indian government prompted by the ICC changing the venue of its March 19 match against India from Dharamsala to Kolkata.
The Pakistan team was originally scheduled to fly out to Kolkata from Lahore on Wednesday but that was delayed until Saturday evening.
Player safety became an issue after Virbhadra Singh, chief minister of Himachal Pradesh state, said he could not provide adequate security.
“I’ve not enjoyed playing anywhere as much as I have in India. I am at the last stage of my career and I can say that the love I have got in India is something that I will always remember. We’ve not got this much love even from Pakistan,” Afridi said.
The Pakistan team will be the subject of an elaborate security operation in Kolkata, where it plays its opening game on Wednesday against a qualifier.
“All routes the team is likely to take are being sanitized,” said Supratim Sarkar, a police commissioner. “Commandos will accompany the team bus and players have been requested not to go outside the team hotel without informing us.”
A total of 15,000 policemen will be on duty during the India-Pakistan game. Manik Banerjee, Kolkata, AP