Mercurial and miraculous: Shahid Afridi turns 37

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

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.



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.



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.



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!