Afridi: an all-rounder?
March 18, 2012
Mindless slogger. Reckless hitter. Hit or miss. Ultimate entertainer. Forever 16. Retires and un-retires. Shahid Khan Afridi is famous for so many other things, that the fact that he has scored over 7000 ODI runs has almost gone unnoticed. Add to it a wickets tally in excess of 300, and you should have one of the all-time best all-rounders in the ODI format, but, for some reason, Afridi is rarely considered in that category.
The reasons may be varied, but if there is one person responsible for that, it is Afridi himself, for he has rarely concentrated on both aspects together.
When he was known for his batting skills, he was just more than a bowler who could roll his arm over. Later, when he became lethal with the ball, his batting skills waned and he went on to consider himself as a 'bowler who could bat'. In a way, Afridi's career (which spans over 340 matches) can be divided into: pre 2007 and post 2007.
Afridi started his career with a bang, breaking all records in his debut innngs scoring a world record 37 ball century against Sri Lanka at Nairobi. The knock immediately established him as a big hitter and quickly found place in fans' heart as an entertainer. In the coming years, Afridi gave Pakistan quick starts, but was never known for consistency (as shown by his average). Pakistan didn't mind it as long as the runs came at a quick rate. The first part of his career was also the period where he opened the innings, and Pakistan happily traded consistency for quick starts.
A major reason which allowed Afridi to play his natural game at the top was the team combination in the period before 2007. Pakistan had some stable batsmen in the middle - like Inzamam ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan (still present) - who offered a solid cushion and made amends even if wickets fell at the top. Post that era, the pressure on Pakistan's openers grew as a failed start often resulted in top-order collapses. The lack of stability in the middle made life difficult for an aggressive batsman like Afridi, who gradually started coming down the order.
While the batting stats (pre and post 2007) do not differ much, the expectations at various positions differed, and Afridi couldn't satisfy the needs. The same shots which would be called attacking at the top order were termed 'rash'. 'Attacking player' became 'reckless hitter', as throwing away a wicket in the middle order became more scrutinized than doing the same at the top. Afridi found it almost impossible to curb his instincts and often lost his wicket to mad slogs, increasing his critics with every such instance. To keep his place in the side, he worked hard on his bowling skills and gradually turned into a bowling all-rounder. Apart from the orthodox leg spinner, he developed a googly, an off spinner and a quicker one. His control over the leg spinners increased, and the wrong ones were bowled at the same speed which made it difficult for the batsmen to pick. From a part-time bowler, Afridi gradually became one of the frontline spinners for Pakistan in the ODI format, as reflected in his stats.
Afridi remained inconsistent with the bat, but quickly became lethal with the ball. Not only did he remain a permanent fixture in the team, he was also rewarded for his efforts and made the captain of Pakistan. He led the team through a phase of turmoil where there was a lot happening off the field (problems within the board, match fixing saga etc) but Afridi managed to inspire his team and tasted a fair amount of success as captain. Not many gave Pakistan a chance but he led from the front and took them to the Semi Finals of the World Cup 2011, where they lost to eventual champions India. Afridi ended the tournament as the joint highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps, but problems with the coach and board cost him his place and he announced his 'retirement'. He returned soon though, and continued to be a frontline bowler for Pakistan under Misbah ul Haq's leadership.
In a way, Afridi's return post retirement helped his batting too. He showed a bit more patience and maturity with the bat, and played a couple of match-winning knocks in a successful series against Sri Lanka in 2010. The new ODI rules is also likely to suit Afridi's style of batting, as he can afford to play his natural game in the batting powerplay overs (which are almost always taken between overs 36 and 40).
Stat: Shahid Afridi and Sanath Jayasuriya are the only 2 players to score over 7000 and pick more than 300 wickets in ODIs.
For now, the 7000 runs may go unnoticed. Afridi may still remain a hit or miss. He may still be mocked for his retirement dramas. But when he does hang up his boots once and for all, Afridi should be remembered as one of the most successful all-rounders to have played the game.
March 18, 2012
Mindless slogger. Reckless hitter. Hit or miss. Ultimate entertainer. Forever 16. Retires and un-retires. Shahid Khan Afridi is famous for so many other things, that the fact that he has scored over 7000 ODI runs has almost gone unnoticed. Add to it a wickets tally in excess of 300, and you should have one of the all-time best all-rounders in the ODI format, but, for some reason, Afridi is rarely considered in that category.
The reasons may be varied, but if there is one person responsible for that, it is Afridi himself, for he has rarely concentrated on both aspects together.
When he was known for his batting skills, he was just more than a bowler who could roll his arm over. Later, when he became lethal with the ball, his batting skills waned and he went on to consider himself as a 'bowler who could bat'. In a way, Afridi's career (which spans over 340 matches) can be divided into: pre 2007 and post 2007.
Afridi started his career with a bang, breaking all records in his debut innngs scoring a world record 37 ball century against Sri Lanka at Nairobi. The knock immediately established him as a big hitter and quickly found place in fans' heart as an entertainer. In the coming years, Afridi gave Pakistan quick starts, but was never known for consistency (as shown by his average). Pakistan didn't mind it as long as the runs came at a quick rate. The first part of his career was also the period where he opened the innings, and Pakistan happily traded consistency for quick starts.
A major reason which allowed Afridi to play his natural game at the top was the team combination in the period before 2007. Pakistan had some stable batsmen in the middle - like Inzamam ul Haq, Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan (still present) - who offered a solid cushion and made amends even if wickets fell at the top. Post that era, the pressure on Pakistan's openers grew as a failed start often resulted in top-order collapses. The lack of stability in the middle made life difficult for an aggressive batsman like Afridi, who gradually started coming down the order.
While the batting stats (pre and post 2007) do not differ much, the expectations at various positions differed, and Afridi couldn't satisfy the needs. The same shots which would be called attacking at the top order were termed 'rash'. 'Attacking player' became 'reckless hitter', as throwing away a wicket in the middle order became more scrutinized than doing the same at the top. Afridi found it almost impossible to curb his instincts and often lost his wicket to mad slogs, increasing his critics with every such instance. To keep his place in the side, he worked hard on his bowling skills and gradually turned into a bowling all-rounder. Apart from the orthodox leg spinner, he developed a googly, an off spinner and a quicker one. His control over the leg spinners increased, and the wrong ones were bowled at the same speed which made it difficult for the batsmen to pick. From a part-time bowler, Afridi gradually became one of the frontline spinners for Pakistan in the ODI format, as reflected in his stats.
Afridi remained inconsistent with the bat, but quickly became lethal with the ball. Not only did he remain a permanent fixture in the team, he was also rewarded for his efforts and made the captain of Pakistan. He led the team through a phase of turmoil where there was a lot happening off the field (problems within the board, match fixing saga etc) but Afridi managed to inspire his team and tasted a fair amount of success as captain. Not many gave Pakistan a chance but he led from the front and took them to the Semi Finals of the World Cup 2011, where they lost to eventual champions India. Afridi ended the tournament as the joint highest wicket-taker with 21 scalps, but problems with the coach and board cost him his place and he announced his 'retirement'. He returned soon though, and continued to be a frontline bowler for Pakistan under Misbah ul Haq's leadership.
In a way, Afridi's return post retirement helped his batting too. He showed a bit more patience and maturity with the bat, and played a couple of match-winning knocks in a successful series against Sri Lanka in 2010. The new ODI rules is also likely to suit Afridi's style of batting, as he can afford to play his natural game in the batting powerplay overs (which are almost always taken between overs 36 and 40).
Stat: Shahid Afridi and Sanath Jayasuriya are the only 2 players to score over 7000 and pick more than 300 wickets in ODIs.
For now, the 7000 runs may go unnoticed. Afridi may still remain a hit or miss. He may still be mocked for his retirement dramas. But when he does hang up his boots once and for all, Afridi should be remembered as one of the most successful all-rounders to have played the game.
