'As promised, we didn't let Sachin score a hundred'

Humne jo kaha tha who kar dikhaya (Whatever we had said before the final, we have done it.)

Shahid Afridi's tongue-in-cheek remark after his side had succumbed to a 29-run defeat in their semi-final against India in Mohali on Wednesday.

The Pakistan captain, to his credit, could still be at his humorous best and afford to crack a few jokes even after his side had been booted out of the World Cup following the loss in the high-profile clash.

"Sachin didn't score a hundred against us today," he added.

And he was right.

Despite getting as many as six reprieves -- with technology twice coming to his rescue and the Pakistani fielders being generous on as many as four occasions, the Master Blaster could still manage only 85 runs.

There was a lot of hype surrounding his 100th international hundred and Afridi had vowed before the game that his team won't let Tendulkar achieve the milestone against his team. Afridi though admitted his fielders had given him a few nervous moments.

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"We made some big mistakes on the field, like dropping Sachin on so many occasions," he conceded, adding, "Even while batting, our shot selection was very poor.

"And we have struggled with partnerships right throughout the tournament. Taking into account all these factors, I would say India deserved to win."

Afridi nonetheless backed his players for putting up a good show in the tournament. 

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"Considering what we have gone through in the last seven-eight months, I am very content," he explained, adding, "We played as a unit in this tournament.

"Winning and losing are two different things but as a captain, I am happy with the effort the boys have put in the tournament."