Published: Mar 21, 2015, 08:21 AM (IST)
Edited: Mar 21, 2015, 06:54 PM (IST)
Shahid Afridi walked into sunset in One-Day Internationals (ODI) after Pakistan were knocked out in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015. Afridi’s innings of 23 in his last game summed up an entertaining career that invoked emotional extremes from the fans. Nishad Pai Vaidya looks back at Afridi’s blitzy walk into sunset. Top 10 batsmen in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
A Pakistan fan sat in a cafe in Melbourne as his team faced off with the Australians in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 quarter-final. Amongst the diverse crowd present at the cafe, only a few followed proceedings as Pakistan batted first. The Pakistan fan held on to his hopes as Misbah-ul-Haq and Haris Sohail constructed a sound partnership. But then followed the customary collapse, and in walked the familiar face at 124 for five. As Shahid Afridi walked into bat, the fan muttered, “Yeh pehli ball par out hoga. Bada chauka maarne ke chakkar mein” (He will get out first ball trying to play a big shot). Top 10 bowlers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
Afridi invokes emotional extremes — you either expect him to smash his way out of trouble or throw it all away! Facing his first ball, Afridi made room and hit an uppish shot over the off-side. The ball evaded the fielder in the ring and went into the boundary. In a way it summed up Afridi’s approach. He took his chances, perhaps oblivious of the odds. It may have been more about feeling the ball onto the bat for Afridi. It may have been about the adrenalin rush in seeing the ball sail over the ropes. No matter what situation, Afridi did what he does best. It is perhaps not an advisable approach for any youngster, but it was unadulterated cricket nevertheless! Top 10 fielders in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
His last One-Day International (ODI) innings summed up his career. The four off the first ball reflected his fearless — and at times mindless — aggression. A few balls later he made room to Mitchell Johnson and carted him for a six over the off-side. A top-edge went over the wicketkeeper and into the boundary. Afridi was punting with the bowlers — handing them the hope of getting him out, yet instilling fear of changing the game single-handedly. He raced away to 23 off 14 balls with an over left for the powerplay. And then, he pulls a short one into deep mid-wicket’s hands! “Damn! He always does this!” said the Pakistan fan. Another said, “Doesn’t matter. For him, every over is like a powerplay!” Top 10 wicketkeepers in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015
It was quite symbolic that his final innings was a fleeting 23, an entertaining knock in bits, but one that failed to help his team. Afridi, the batsman, was always enigmatic, but cricket fans unanimously waited for those big hits. In an era where cricket made its transition into the T20 era, he was one batsman who defied the three figure barrier in terms of strike rates in ODIs. There were times when he batted “sensibly” by his standards, yet scored at a faster rate. One wonders what his figures would have looked like had he done that more consistently! ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: SCHEDULE & MATCH DETAILS
Despite all that, Afridi is one character ODIs will sorely miss. From being the 16-year-old, who smashed a 37-ball ton in his maiden innings to the superstar who put his arms in the air whenever success came his way, Afridi has well and truly entertained the cricket world. Even at the age of 35, he seems fit enough to go on. As some famous personality said, “One wonders what is the secret of his eternal youth!” It was as if his debut was yesterday. Afridi’s career went by in a flash, just like some of his innings! ICC Cricket World Cup 2015: Complete Coverage
(Nishad Pai Vaidya is a Correspondent with CricketCountry and anchor for the site’s YouTube Channel. His Twitter handle is @nishad_45)
