Play for country, Waqar tells players

Pakistan might have decided not to train on the eve of the World Cup semi-final against India, but the players were certainly not resting in their hotel rooms

Play for country, Waqar tells players

Pakistan might have decided not to train on the eve of the World Cup semi-final against India, but the players were certainly not resting in their hotel rooms.

It was all about mental preparation ahead of the high-pressure game, and what role motivational speaker Mike Horn played with the Indian team, coach Waqar Younis seemed to fulfil for the arch-rivals.

There were a few gems in the native tongue as well. "Hume apne watan ke liye khelna hain. Jo kaam aasan nahin hain, woh na mumkin bhi nahin hain ... dard ko abhi seh lo. Aur kuch din ki baat hain. Phir jo milega usko sari life khush reh sakte ho (We have to play for our country. That task which is not easy is also not impossible to accomplish ... bear the pain for a few more days. What you get after that will keep you happy for the rest of your life)."

MiD DAY learnt that Waqar then made a specific reference to Pakistan's World Cup triumph 19 years ago. "After 1992, this is another golden opportunity for us to win the World Cup. We can't let go this opportunity. If we don't win, then our country will not forgive us for ever," the coach was supposed to have said.

But Waqar's battle cries were in contrast to Horn's approach of de-stressing the mind ahead of a high-intensity game. The South African made it a point to not discuss cricket or Pakistan during his interaction with the Indian players on Monday. Instead, he narrated them his personal adventures, which seemed to have eased the players' tension a great deal. Captain Shahid Afridi said he gave his share of pep talk to the players. "I tried to tell them how important the match is. They are in a very positive frame of mind," he said.

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