Pakistan secured their place in the World Cup quarter-finals with a seven-wicket win over Zimbabwe, but captain Shahid Afridi is already looking ahead to topping Group A.

Pakistan face Australia in a top-of-the-table clash next Saturday, and despite Monday's encounter being rain-affected, Afridi had plenty of positives to take into the game against Ricky Ponting's men.

Paceman Umar Gul led Pakistan's bowling attack with three for 36 as Zimbabwe could only manage 151 for seven in an innings twice reduced to rain at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy.

Debutant Asad Shafiq - who replaced the injured Umar Akmal - hit an unbeaten 78 off 97 balls, backed by Mohammad Hafeez's 49, to see Pakistan through with 23 balls to spare.

Afridi said: "Tomorrow is a new day and the next game will be a new game.

"We know how important the game against Australia is and definitely we will play with all our strength.

"Today, it was the way we started, especially in the bowling area. Umar Gul and Abdul Razzaq started very well, especially on a track like this. The spinners did a great job as well.

"The way Hafeez played, it's good to see him back, and Asad played an amazing innings. We gave him a chance and he made use of it."

Zimbabwe captain Elton Chigumbura felt his side's batting needed plenty of work but nonetheless praised Craig Ervine's 52 off 82 balls which provided some respectability to the team's total.

"We lost too many wickets first up and it's always hard to come back from that," Chigumbura said. "Then the rain came and we didn't have enough momentum in the end."

"I thought Ervine played pretty well, I'm happy with the bowling also, the spinners bowled good lines with the old ball.

"We're just going to work mainly on our batting during the first 10 overs. Bowling and fielding we have to maintain our standard but the main concern is batting."