Hampshire all-rounder Shahid Afridi believes that his side can rise to the challenge of defending their Twenty20 crown at Edgbaston on Saturday. Hampshire face Somerset in their semi-final, the side they narrowly beat in last season’s final at The Rose Bowl.
“We’ve got a bunch of guys who are full of talent and a good combination of players for Twenty20 cricket,” Afridi said. “I’m positive we will definitely perform in the next two games as well,” he added. When the two sides met in the group stages, after a total wash-out at Taunton, Hampshire again came out on top at The Rose Bowl, winning by seven wickets. However, Afridi believes that Saturday’s meeting with the 2005 Twenty20 winners will be entirely different due to the stage it is being played on.