Afridi struggling to lift morale after allegations

Afridi struggling to lift morale after allegations  Updated :   Wednesday  September  1 , 2010  9:08:49 PM

TAUNTON: Pakistan one-day captain Shahid Afridi is struggling to lift the morale of his squad following the allegations of fixing against three of the players. Afridi is captain for two Twenty20s and five one-day matches after taking over from Salman Butt —one of the three players returning to London to face an internal inquiry by Pakistani officials. ''Myself and the coach are trying to keep morale high,'' Afridi said Wednesday. ''It's always very difficult in these conditions against a good team but they are all really focused. ''What has happened has gone. We are here to play good cricket. It's a big challenge for me personally —playing in English conditions is always difficult.'' Afridi hopes that the remainder of Pakistan's tour of England will help the players get over the stress of the past few days, which have featured the newspaper allegations and the start of a police investigation. ''We are all looking forward to it,'' Afridi said. ''It has been really difficult but we can forget everything, get out, play the cricket and entertain the people.'' Pakistan plays its first Twenty20 against England on Sunday.