He made his name by blasting bowlers in the stands, but nowadays it’s with the ball in hand that the Pakistani ex-captain Shahid Khan Afridi makes his biggest mark. With imagination, he could be a bowling all-rounder who can bat though with that we could all be Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. Mostly he is just a bowler; very occasionally he changes the game with the bat.
But the thing that was the best about him was his captaincy. The point at which he was given the side to lead was quite difficult. The team comprised of newcomers and youngsters, but when he came in as a leader he made sure that he united the team and made them fight till the last ball.
His own performance is up to the mark; he has been the leading wicket taker for Pakistan in ODIs since 2009. He led the team bravely in the World Cup and continued his leadership qualities even in the Windies tour and won us the series 3-2, first time ever against them, but there was an unexpected reward waiting for him. He became a victim of internal politics and was removed from captaincy. What was his mistake? Leading the team to the semi-final? Or becoming the third best all-rounder in the world?
QURAT-UL-AIN FARRUKH
Karachi
