The mystery of Shahid Afridi.

[MundaPakistani]

As you guys know that in most parts of Pakistan this guy is seen as a hero and when Afridi comes to bat most average fans stop what they are doing and cant stay away from the TV screen until Afridi he been dismissed. Even among the genuine fans you would find a lot of people who think that Afridi is the greatest thing since the slice of bread yet some also think that he is a total waste of space and should be thrown out of the team for good. If you look at his ODI career in the last 4 or 5 years it's clear that his bowling has improved to a point where in ODIs he is on par with some very useful bowlers like D Vettori, H Singh etc but as a batsman he has tremendously underachieved. As a test player he has shown that he is capable of doing very well in sub continent but looking at his awful technique and the hit or miss attitude there is no one you can have him bat at #6 in difficult batting conditions. So being neutrals if you were in charge of the PAK team what would you do with this enigma called SK Afridi?

[Guest BossBhai]

-- Removed on request of the user --

[Guest dada_rocks]

BB knocking sense if possible wud have been done by now so that option is off the table. I say keep him in team and play only when pitch is flat . IN ODI I guess he is must but treat him as a bowler, whatevr run he scores is bonus.

[ludhianvi]

Afridi is a sort of player that is very hard for the coach or selectors. He is very unpredictable and inconsistent so far. Perhaps his best cricket is yet to come. Nevertheless, he does have that X factor in him. If he clicks on his day, he's a match winner. But the question again becomes, how long does one persist with him. For ODIs As of late, with an improvement in his bowling (probably he was under utilized previously), he would fit in the ODI definitely. But again, the question at which number would you place him. As has already been discussed by many, in subcontinental pitches, he would be an ideal opener and could take away the game from the opposition. And perhaps in overseas conditions, he would be an ideal #8, and his job would be to cash in on the last 10 or so overs. I think for ODIs, Afridi would need to come at the expense of a genuine spinner such as Kaneria. In tests, its a different matter. He does seem to be improving in tests in the recent seasons. If I were a coach, I would not take Afridi in place of another genuine batsman. Although, it seems Afridi could be more devastating in Test matches than ODI and could go the Sehwag way. I think age is still on Afridi's side ;) Where would Afridi fit in the Test side? As an opener, one's traditional job has been to see off the new ball. Honestly, I dont see Afridi doing that. Again from what he has shown so far in 10 or more years, he would come into the Test side as an allrounder only if at all. He may very well prove us all wrong and could be a devastating #6 but at the moment, he would only qualify in the Test side, if at all, as an #8 in place of a genuine bowler. That is usually not the norm in Test matches to take out a genuine bowler. For him to come at #8, he has to be utilized to the fullest. All in all, the guy has a great attitude on the field and is a descent fielder. Who knows, maybe the best of Afridi is yet to come. I think he is also eying the captain's spot believe it or not. Maybe in pursuit of captaincy, he might become a better player than he already is. And oh yeah, he definitely fits into the 20/20 for obvious reasons.

[Bumper]

The guy has fantastic hand eye co-ordination ....

Am surprised u say that. Hand-eye coordination is what u would use to describe a sehwag's or a slater's or a Viv's batting. Lala man does not see half the ball he hits, so that eliminates the eye part. Its a popular belief that he lacks the cells upstairs for any correlative reaction, so that eliminates the co-ordination part. Beast is a one dimensional windmill. Dhoni is a better version of the Beast IMO. On his day, Afridi is a force of nature no question about it. But every batsman has such field days in their career. Afridi has to do more after so many years at this level.

if only someone could knock some sense into his brain .... to develop a basic defensive technique ... But you gotta admire the guys guts to keep going the bang-bang route even at the risk of his career.

I think thats the only way he knows. Cant credit him for his ignorance

[MundaPakistani]

Afridi is a sort of player that is very hard for the coach or selectors. He is very unpredictable and inconsistent so far. Perhaps his best cricket is yet to come. Nevertheless, he does have that X factor in him. If he clicks on his day, he's a match winner. But the question again becomes, how long does one persist with him. For ODIs As of late, with an improvement in his bowling (probably he was under utilized previously), he would fit in the ODI definitely. But again, the question at which number would you place him. As has already been discussed by many, in subcontinental pitches, he would be an ideal opener and could take away the game from the opposition. And perhaps in overseas conditions, he would be an ideal #8, and his job would be to cash in on the last 10 or so overs. I think for ODIs, Afridi would need to come at the expense of a genuine spinner such as Kaneria. In tests, its a different matter. He does seem to be improving in tests in the recent seasons. If I were a coach, I would take Afridi in place of another genuine batsman. Although, it seems Afridi could be more devastating in Test matches than ODI and could go the Sehwag way. I think age is still on Afridi's side ;) Where would Afridi fit in the Test side? As an opener, one's traditional job has been to see off the new ball. Honestly, I dont see Afridi doing that. Again from what he has shown so far in 10 or more years, he would come into the Test side as an allrounder only if at all. He may very well prove us all wrong and could be a devastating #6 but at the moment, he would only qualify in the Test side, if at all, as an #8 in place of a genuine bowler. That is usually not the norm in Test matches to take out a genuine bowler. For him to come at #8, he has to be utilized to the fullest. All in all, the guy has a great attitude on the field and is a descent fielder. Who knows, maybe the best of Afridi is yet to come. I think he is also eying the captain's spot believe it or not. Maybe in pursuit of captaincy, he might become a better player than he already is. And oh yeah, he definitely fits into the 20/20 for obvious reasons.

excellent post! I think had he been given a chance in tests he would have done well on flat pitches...if you recall he was the one who set up that famous Chennai test for PAK also got a 5 for on debut against AUS so even back then he could have been very handy and very recently he once again played a huge part in PAK's win at Bangalore. How ever as you mentioned it's very hard to find him a place in the test team because he is certainly not the player who you could trust at #6 and is also not the kind of a bowler who would consistently give you wicket i.e he can't be picked over Kaneria. I also agree with DR that in ODIs he should be merely seen as a bowler who can bat(slog).

[Zap_Brannigan]

excellent post! I think had he been given a chance in tests he would have done well on flat pitches...if you recall he was the one who set up that famous Chennai test for PAK also got a 5 for on debut against AUS so even back then he could have been very handy and very recently he once again played a huge part in PAK's win at Bangalore. How ever as you mentioned it's very hard to find him a place in the test team because he is certainly not the player who you could trust at #6 and is also not the kind of a bowler who would consistently give you wicket i.e he can't be picked over Kaneria. I also agree with DR that in ODIs he should be merely seen as a bowler who can bat(slog).

In an entire career spanning a decade(?), you can point out 3 instances where he was more than just a spot filler......doesnt that say it all abt his abilities....

[Bumper]

Will Afridi ever display the sense & grit that Dhoni showed in saving the Lord's test match ? NEVER! Its easy to be aggressive, far more difficult to restraint it.

[Guest dada_rocks]

as somone pointed yes bumper it's; it's not the case of being handicapped on cerebral side it's handicappedness in terms of ability period.. blind-hitters can't do it everyday.. And please stop denigrading dhoni with this lopsided comparison.. MS Dhoni is a fine cricketer and he knows what he is doing yes sometimes he does succumb to brainfart but you don't reach world number one ranking through fluke batting like afridi.. Wait and watch his test batsmaship too is about to shift to top gear.

[MundaPakistani]

In an entire career spanning a decade(?)' date=' you can point out 3 instances where he was more than just a spot filler......doesnt that say it all abt his abilities....[/quote'] Well no because i am talking about test cricket Here are his test stats Matches: 26 Runs: 1683@37 Wickets: 47@34 Actually that's one of the reasons why i started this thread because looking at these numbers you would think that he should be a regular member of the test side.

[Chandan]

At number 8. Thats the only position where he can be kept but then that is a bowlers' place and does Afridi deserve to be in the team purely as a bowler? I would suppose the answer will be a no. If you get a wicketkeeper who is a terrific batsman, as good as a specialist, then you can play him has your 5th bowler and 7th batsman!

[Zap_Brannigan]

37 is not bad.....but hes been extremely lucky with the venues he got to bat on and the teams. I think his high average is probably due to 3 things 1. Against India or bad bowling attacks - Its no secret that we have had horrible bowling attacks and even kumble hasnt exactly done so well against Afridi. Other attacks he has done well will be probably against SL, WI etc.. 2. In pak - Pak test pitches arent the greatest in the world in the last 5 years. Maybe he got to play in flatbeds most of the time. Someone whos always in the side gets to play in all kinda wickets but woolmer was around he played afridi as a 2nd spinner which meant he didnt get to play on green tracks and was chosen only on good batting tracks. 3.His 1st few games - He did have a decent 1st year or so bcos ppl were more afraid of him ....But after that everyone worked him out. I suspect that if you see his last few years stats ,not played in Pak or against SL, he would probably avg very low. I dont remember much his bowling to know abt his usefullness with the ball. But if Pak wanna play him as a batsman, make sure he plays on a good batting track or against India. Infact for paks sake, Afridi should play against India even on the greenest of tracks. Odis..........not so much.

[MundaPakistani]

37 is not bad.....but hes been extremely lucky with the venues he got to bat on and the teams. I think his high average is probably due to 3 things 1. Against India or bad bowling attacks - Its no secret that we have had horrible bowling attacks and even kumble hasnt exactly done so well against Afridi. Other attacks he has done well will be probably against SL, WI etc.. 2. In pak - Pak test pitches arent the greatest in the world in the last 5 years. Maybe he got to play in flatbeds most of the time. Someone whos always in the side gets to play in all kinda wickets but woolmer was around he played afridi as a 2nd spinner which meant he didnt get to play on green tracks and was chosen only on good batting tracks. 3.His 1st few games - He did have a decent 1st year or so bcos ppl were more afraid of him ....But after that everyone worked him out. I suspect that if you see his last few years stats ,not played in Pak or against SL, he would probably avg very low. I dont remember much his bowling to know abt his usefullness with the ball. But if Pak wanna play him as a batsman, make sure he plays on a good batting track or against India. Infact for paks sake, Afridi should play against India even on the greenest of tracks. Odis..........not so much.

I just tried to confirm what you were saying and guess what his averages outside PAK is actually higher how ever his bowling hasn't been as good..

[Predator_05]

Afridi's batting technique is fine. He can play good shots on both sides of the wicket, and is quite innovative as well - i remember him scooping Makhaya Ntini's full-length deliveries inside out to the fine leg boundary. He can play, but he is just brainless. I have seen him play some disciplined innings in Test cricket - most notably in the '99 Chennai Test (he batted brilliantly against Kumble) and then 2002 ATC final vs SL. I don't think he sees himself as anything more than a cameo player. His primary job is to take wickets and any runs he makes are a bonus. I don't rate him at all to be honest. 1 good innings every 10 matches isn't good enough if you are playing at this level. His bowling features the odd partnership breaker, but he is no Saqlain Mushtaq with the ball. I suppose he is a good utility player for ODI's, but he just doesn't contribute enough with either bat or ball. In my opinion, an all-rounder should be able to hold down a place in the XI as a bowler and as a batsman - Afridi averages too low with the bat, too low with the ball, so most of the time it's like Pakistan are playing with 10 men. In Test cricket, he could be handy in the subcontinent but he is not good enough to be a permanent fixture in the side.

[sm332]

that Pak fans cant move on is suprising ... he is a club hack ... plays with no regard to team situation or need. Slam bang thank you ma'am

[yoda]

He is absolute trash. No regard to situation, no patience, just wild swings at the bat. For some reason the facker seems to bat very well against us.

[Lurker]

So being neutrals if you were in charge of the PAK team what would you do with this enigma called SK Afridi?

Drop him from Test for good(by the way drop Razzak, Rana and other bits and pieces players too). Part of Afridi's problem is the problem faced by Pakistanis. If I may say so for a country build on religion that discourages factionalism(read divisions like caste), Pakistanis have been traditionally very supportive of being a Punjabi, a Pakhtun, a Mohajir and of course Pathan. When Afridi fires his fans go all about "Pathan runs lose". Remember how Irfan was called as "fake Pathan"? and Irfan-Afridi encounter tagged as "clash of Pathans?". No wonder the man himself has been on occassions called himself as Pathan first. To be honest he is not the first one. Even the Great Imran Khan was a culprit of this mindless chest thumping. Its been a while since I read his(Imran's) autobiography but I am pretty darn sure that it starts with "I was born in a Pathan family". The point being the man often gets away with murder simply because he is a "hot headed Pathan". I will play him in LOI but lets not expect him to be a maverick. He should come at 6,7 and ready to tonk when needed. He wont fire in every game but would come good once every 5th 6th LOI and when he comes good he can win the game on his own. His bowling is very handy, definitely better than Malik or Razzak or even Rana. And his fielding is electric. Pick him in LOI but drop him in Test. And please drill into him that he plays for Pakistan and not Pathan-istan. xxxx

[King Tendulkar]

Plays for himself and the crowd. But never for the team! A coward as well, as when the going gets tough and you need to dig in, all he does is slog and mouth of!

[observer1]

i would give him more responsibility in the team - perhaps make him odi captain, and see how he does. i think he is a great number 6 in odis. i would pick him, on a consistent basis in the test team too but, he needs a thinking captain - inzi wasnt good at handling him. he will either flower under malik or will be kicked out of the team following an ego clash

[Anakin]

There is no mystery, he's a first class idiot.