Afridi up with the Greats

A move to give Shahid Afridi a farewell during the T20 series between Pakistan and West Indies was somehow a good decision for a big star like Afridi, but due to some circumstances the move didn’t materialise and the executive committee head of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Najam Sethi decided to give a simple sendoff to the cricketer.

Revealing his plans for retirement, Afridi had plans to retire after the World T20 2016, but pressure from his fans, family and friends forced him to reconsider his decision. But due to his poor performance in the World T20, he decided to step down as the captain of National T20 team and decided to keep playing in the shorter format but from then on, he was not picked up for the national side.

Whether Afridi is able to play competently and score big or not, he has always been a legendary star. The current hard-hitter in Pakistan is Umar Akmal who was also the highest scorer of the National T20 tournament, but has still been unable to replace Afridi in terms of securing a home in the hearts of countless after scoring the fastest century in ODI in the year 1996 against then World Champion Sri Lanka — hitting 102 off 37 balls, then later scoring big in 2005 off 45 balls against India.

His hard-hitting has become a trademark since then. The boys playing on streets or the players playing domestic cricket whenever he hits sixes and fours he is termed as ‘Afridi’, and many kids playing on streets always chant his name once a player excels at the game.

Recently, while covering a Women Cricket Tournament organised by KheloKricket, I heard the school girls cheering their teammates to go and hit like Afridi and the player who was only able to hit three sixes was overheard mumbling, “I am not Afridi that I’ll be able to hit six sixes on six balls.”

This only proves that Afridi may not be the best all-rounder or hitter but will always be remembered for his hard-hitting shots. I have noted that in Pakistan, there is no tradition of players retiring gracefully, and Afridi is no different.

The ones who serve the country with distinction deserve to be remembered with honour. In my opinion, the PCB should grant a chance to Afridi in the upcoming series and bid farewell to him respectfully.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 22^nd, 2016.