Mercurial and miraculous: Shahid Afridi turns 37

Afridi has retired from international cricket but he will play T20 leagues around the world


Abdul Majid March 01, 2016
PHOTO: AFP

Way before AB de Villiers and Brendon McCullum surfaced on the scene, an impulsive all-rounder made his mark on international cricket with his sweltering knocks and leg-spin.

The world named him ‘Boom Boom’ for his ability to bash and thrash any bowling attack on his day. He was Afridi for his teammates and Lala (big brother) for his juniors, and today he turns 37.

Afridi may reconsider retirement plans after World T20

PHOTO: AFP

Shahid Khan Afridi, the name itself, sent chills down opposing captains and bowlers. With each step towards the cricketing pitch, the crowd cheered his arrival. His eyes never searched for vacant spaces in the field because he loved to hit it out of the park.

Naysayers claimed he knew only one style of batting — hit out or get out — but then the world saw his other side. If he failed with the bat, he made sure he made the ball talk.

West Indies' Sammy impresses Afridi with Pashto skills

He is not famous for his batting average but his strike rate would rarely dip below 100. He ended his 398-ODI career with a strike rate of 117, while in 98 T20Is he has maintained a strike rate of 150.75.

PHOTO: AFP

Reiterating his records won’t really matter though, for fans will always love the adrenaline rush that he stirs up in them when he walks out. The legend of Afridi hasn’t ended yet. After retiring from international duty during the ongoing Pakistan Super League, he still vows to play in the T20 leagues around the world. And the form that he has shown in the last few matches for Peshawar Zalmi, we are surely going to see a lot of him in the coming couple of years.

Afridi is not irreplaceable: Sarfraz Nawaz

The recent generation of cricket lovers will never understand the feeling of Afridi’s presence out there in the middle. But one thing is for sure, whenever folklores about the most miraculous cricketers will be told, the storytellers will be forced to name Afridi before de Villiers and McCullum.

Feast on this!

COMMENTS (7)

Reddy | 8 years ago | Reply mccullum,devillers ...really,afridi should thank his luckystars for being a pakistani,there are 8 test playing nations,30+ associates...not one of them would've picked him in playing eleven let alone playing him for 25yrs...there isn't a single thing right about afridi the cricketer,not even one thing including his age...
Asad Hasan | 8 years ago | Reply The selectors should seriously consider dropping Afridi if Pakistan has to have a semblance of chance in the world cup. Doesn't Afridi realise that when the chairman says "If Afridi himself decided to step down from the World T- 20, the BCP would consider it." means they want him to step down but could not like to ask him directly out of respect. Imagine such a statement coming from chairman of England ECB, about their captain? The captain would not think twice before stepping down, but we have no such tradition/s. This is what leadership is all about.
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