Karachi: Giving respect to bowlers helped him be among runs in England, flamboyant Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said revealing the secret of his sizzling form at the just-concluded World T20.

Afridi said he had struggled with the bat in the past because he did not accord proper respect to bowlers.

“I thought I could take on any bowler and I showed no respect to them. That’s why I was struggling to get runs,” he said in an interview to a private television channel.

Afridi said during the World T20 he spoke to his captain and coach, who advised him to take his batting seriously.

“I decided then that I needed to show respect to the bowlers and be patient at the crease. I realised that you can’t attack bowlers all the time and you need to take your time to settle down,” he said.

Meanwhile, pacer Umar Gul admitted that although the players had lacked motivation initially, the defeat to England in the opening group match changed all that.

“We had a team meeting in which captain Younis Khan reminded us that we had made a promise to win this Cup for our people. We all talked about how important it would be for the country if we achieved that feat,” Gul recalled after reaching home, at Nawakheli in Pakistan’s troubled North West Frontier Province Tuesday.

“After the loss to England we all realised we must win this one for our countrymen and show the world that Pakistanis are fighters and great survivors,” he said. (PTI)