PAKISTAN secured a thrilling 46-run victory over Canada in their World Cup Group A clash at Colombo yesterday – but skipper Shahid Afridi admitted the game had given his side a jolt.

Chasing 185 for the win, Canada looked on top of the run rate and threatened to emulate Ireland’s upset of England on Wednesday, but Afridi’s figures of five for 23 helped swing the tide his team’s way.

Despite the happy ending, Pakistan’s batting did very little to impress in the first innings.

The Canadian pace-men ripped through their top and middle orders, and it was only a 73-run stand between Misbah-ul-Haq and Umar Akmal that kept them in the hunt for a fighting total.

And Afridi was in no mood to let his batsmen off the hook easily, saying: “It was a good decision to bat first but it wasn’t good shot selection.

“It’s all about responsibility. We needed partnerships but that’s what we were missing and what the coach also was saying. Partnerships are very important.

“It’s a very good wake-up call for us for the next game.

“We are not going to repeat this batting performance again.”

Meanwhile Canada captain Ashish Bagai felt his side had let victory slip from their grasp.

“A very, very disappointing loss for us,” Bagai said.

“Batting worries continue and it was a chance to put up a good performance and we disappointed ourselves.”