Shahid Afridi rips woeful Kenyans to shreds

Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi believes he is a "bowler first" after claiming five wickets to complete a 205-run drubbing of Kenya in Hambantota yesterday.

The leg-spinner's five for 16 from eight overs tore apart the Kenya line-up as they were dismissed for a paltry 112 with more than 16 overs remaining.

Pakistan's huge win, in their second Group A clash, was set up by half-centuries from Misbah-ul-Haq, Younus Khan and the Akmal brothers which helped Pakistan post 317 for seven.

In reply, Kenya struggled from the beginning and crawled to 66 for two in the 22nd over before Afridi wreaked havoc, dismissing the middle order with his magical spell.

Afridi, who scored only seven with the bat, warned opposing teams to be wary of his bowling skills after entering the record books with the best bowling performance by a Pakistan captain in a World Cup, beating Wasim Akram's five for 28 against Namibia at Kimberley in the 2003 tournament.

"I am a bowler first and then a batsman," the all-rounder said with a smile when asked about his bowling performance in the match. Afridi, who turns 31 next week, singled out Shoaib Akhtar for praise for providing a fiery opening spell, conceding just ten in five overs. "It was good to see Shoaib Akhtar bowl really well, especially on a slow track," he said.

However, he had a word of advice for the batsmen, who he felt batted slowly, with Pakistan managing just 61 in the first 15 overs.

"It was a slow track, but we should have started more positively," the captain said.

"You should take a chance after five or six overs to disturb the line otherwise they will keep bowling on the same line if you don't take any chances."

Losing captain Jimmy Kamande said his side put up a good performance with the ball and needed to improve on other departments.

"We are not performing well in all the areas, but I thought the bowling was 70 per cent good. I didn't bowl well and let down the other three bowlers," he said.

Meanwhile, following the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori has called on his team-mates to offer the nation some "light relief" when they take on Australia tomorrow.More than 75 people were killed by a 6.3 magnitude quake and many more people are still trapped inside collapsed buildings. The Cricket New Zealand offices were hit, while Brendon McCullum and Hamish Marshall, who both hail from Christchurch, have opted to remain with the team rather than return home. "The biggest thing we can do for people is win our next game against Australia. That will bring a little bit of light relief to some people going through a tough time," said Vettori. "Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in the Canterbury community."

New Zealand go into their second match with little game time behind them having breezed past Kenya in their first group game.