
Pakistan's Misbah-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Ahmed Shehzad, captain Shahid  Afridi and Asad Shafiq (L-R) run during a cricket practice session ahead  of their ICC Cricket World Cup semi-final match against India on  Wednesday in Mohali March 28, 2011
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KARACHI: Pakistan captain  Shahid Afridi accused the Indian media on Monday of conducting a  negative campaign against his team before Wednesday’s eagerly anticpated  World Cup semi-final in Mohali.
 “There is so much negativity in the Indian media. There is nothing  positive to watch on the channels and we are just sticking together as a  team and it is just the hotel and ground for us,” Afridi told the Geo  News channel.
 “The only answer we can give is with our performance. We will try to  give 110 percent in this big match. Everyone knows how big a match this  is and the pressures that come with it. But we will just do our best  whatever the result. After the match we just want to be content in our  hearts we gave our best,” added Afridi.
 Afridi also said Pakistan were considering playing their controversial fast bowler, Shoaib Akhtar.
 “I also want him to play but we have not taken a final decision as  yet. And we have to take into consideration his match fitness and his  form which we will see in the nets,” Afridi said.
 “We want him in such a high-profile match but we don’t want him for  just four or five overs, we want him to bowl his full quota of overs,”  he added.
 Pakistan has not played Akhtar, who has announced his decision to  retire after the World Cup, since they lost to New Zealand in the pool  matches.
 Afridi played down his remarks about not allowing Indian maestro Sachin Tendulkar to score runs in the semi-final.
 “The Indian media has treated this negatively. There is never any  doubt about Tendulkar’s greatness. But if someone approaches me and asks  me about him obviously as Pakistan captain I will not say we will allow  him to score runs I will say we will ensure he doesn’t get his 100th  international century,” Afridi said.
 The Pakistan skipper felt the dew factor would play an important role.
 “Yes, there is a lot of dew in the evenings but they are using  chemicals to counter it. But it is a factor we will have to take into  consideration at the toss,” he said.
 He also expressed disappointment at remarks from Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rehman Malik about the government keeping a close watch on the players in the semi-final because of last year’s spot-fixing scandal.
 “I don’t think he should have said such a thing at such a time,” Afridi said.