Afridi’s Dilemma

Shahid Afridi has been representing Pakistan for last 15 years but he is still unsure about his role in the team. He joined Pakistan cricket team as a professional leg spin bowler when Mushtaq Ahmed got injured and he was asked to join immediately. He was one of the highest wickets taking bowler at Under-19 level and was playing against West Indies Under-19 team at that time. By then, he was a reliable leg spin bowler and an unreliable tail-ender batsman.

And then, he played an unforgettable innings against World Champion Sri Lanka in his 2^nd One Day International and his first international inning. And here is the complete detail of his first century, 0610400600661166264400661411041606024 and its 100. The world has never witnessed such a short inning with such a big impact. There was a partnership of 126 runs between Saeed Anwar and Shahid Afridi but Afridi’s contribution was 102runs with 11 sixes and 6 fours in 37 balls only. He bowled well too (10-0-43-1) however the career-boosting century became his only introduction in the world. It was one of the best innings of cricket history……… but it confused Afridi about his specialty. He forgot that he was a professional bowler and an unreliable batsman who could be used as a useful batsman. The BOOM BOOM fame he earned revolves around his batting. He has lots of match winning innings against his name including the ones he played to win World Cup T20 for Pakistan. Unfortunately, everyone told him that he could do wonders with the bat but none of them actually tried to improve him.

Afridi has a respectable batting average 36.51 and 23.54 in test and ODI cricket respectively. He is the only player in the world whose strike rate has never gone below 100 (113.92 currently) in ODIs. These stats clearly show his batting potential and he has been a fighter and match winner leg spin bowler throughout his career. He has good range of verity, a bowler’s brain and attacking attitude. He never gives up in any sort of circumstances. He believes is leading from the front and always tries to be an example for his players.

He was highest wicket taker in World cup 2011 but he has been suffering from poor form as batsman. He was found frustrated every time he lost his wicket. He felt sorry for his bad shots, he tried to give justifications for is poor shot selection, he promised to be more responsible next time, he promoted himself even in the 4^th ODI against West Indies but repeated his mistakes again and again.

The question is; can he improve as a batsman???
Another question is; SHOULD he try to improve as batsman???

To me, the answer is NO for both. Afridi enjoys bowling, he is creative in bowling, he knows the tactics of getting rid of a batsman but he is NOT a creative batsman. He does not enjoy batting as for him hard-hitting is the only kind of batting and including him, everyone knows batting is beyond hard hitting. Even Powerplay doesn’t work for him anymore; the latest match is an evidence of that. Most of the bowlers know his weakness that he cannot hit short-pitch delivery at off-stump, even he knows that and he never tries to improve it. His casual attitude towards batting shows his seriousness towards this field. And I believe, this is not bad, every bowling-captain is same creature. Fazal Mehmood, Abdul Qadir, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis do not have great batting average but they were great match winners, just like Afridi.

Shahid Afridi needs to know this reality that he is a bowler and a good batsman (who averages above 23) and can be useful in favorable circumstances. He said once to that media that his first priority was bowling but his reactions after getting out depict that he still 0wants to win people’s hearts by hitting huge sixes. He should, I believe, stop having this approach and should clearly declare in the media about what he is serious and what his strength is.

He has number of match winning performances against his name with bat and with ball. Afridi has proved that he has been a useful cricketer, over the years and has always contributed with bat and ball. He can play a decisive role against any team, as a bowler and can add valuable runs if he remains calm and handles external pressure well.

The only suggestion for the skipper is: Be clear about your strength and do not get confused. It hurts your and team’s performance.