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Saturday, November 6, 2010

Six-mad Shahid Afridi makes maximum of his talent

        Shahid Afridi

This week, Shahid Afridi became the greatest hitter of sixes in the history of international cricket. Needing only one to break the record of 372 at the start of the third one-day international against South Africa, the Pakistan all-rounder duly leapt out of his crease and barfed his second ball over the ropes at cover. Three balls later he was out, caught behind slashing hungrily.
Afridi is no longer much of a match winner and it would be easy to carp at any list that decrees him, however briefly, a more significant cricketing personage than Virender Sehwag (215 sixes), Sir Viv Richards (210 sixes) and Sir Donald Bradman (six sixes). But this would be to belittle his achievement. Afridi is truly exceptional at one thing: hitting sixes.
Addressing this with a furious literal‑mindedness, he has now done this one thing more often than any other human being in history, racing to the record in 200 fewer matches than the previous holder Sanath Jayasuriya. Afridi deserves his moment. There is something gorgeously incorrigible about his batting, even more so in unreformed, mini-skirted cricketing middle age, still toting about his enduring reserve of small-town Elvis impersonator charisma, still refusing to knuckle down or stop doing all those terribly reckless Afridi things.
If there is a problem with Afridi it is that watching him bat is like watching a man trying to write a novel composed entirely of exclamation marks; or like listening to the world's most brilliant speed-metal guitarist, who unfortunately only knows how to play a wildly exuberant 30-second solo with his moustache. The six-hit in isolation is almost entirely without content. And while Afridi may be a great six-hitter he is not a great player and as such his record tally of swishes and swipes is ultimately meaningless; as is, beyond a certain mild curiosity, the list he now tops.
This is the purist's view – certainly in England where until quite recently the hitting of a six was met with a kind of weary disapproval. The six had something mildly hysterical and flaky and foreign-accented about it. Commentators would sigh. Spin bowlers would lick their fingers pityingly. When England's own batsmen began to hit sixes it seemed oddly transgressive.
Ian Botham pretty much invented the six in this country, notably with his unique squatting ankle-height heave over square-leg, reminiscent of a man gleefully yanking into life the ignition crank on a particularly stubborn petrol‑powered lawn mower. More recently Michael Vaughan's righteous short-arm pull was a wonderful treat, the shot that saw him resemble most clearly in his batting style a notoriously severe 19th century public-school chaplain administering elegant violence with his favoured bamboo switch.
The six is now a far more urgent everyday presence. It is also an agent of modernity. In Twenty20 the six has already replaced taking a wicket as the game's central function, to be forcibly consumed in great glugging, liver‑swelling draughts. There is now a great living to be made in sixes. Afridi himself has his Boom Boom equipment range, not the kind of empire to be teased out of a career-defining mastery of the dab to third man.
The remarkable Australian David Warner still hasn't scored a first-class half-century, but in Twenty20 he bats like a prodigiously talented caveman armed with a light sabre and has duly become, via the Indian Premier League, one of the highest paid batsmen in the world. As a mark of how separate the two codes are now: England's Test specialist Alastair Cook, Warner's shadowy five-day reflection, averages a six every 2,057 balls in international cricket. Warner is currently rocking along at a six every 17 balls, and garnering much global attention with his brand of instant pop grandeur, while Cook the tortured technician still vainly spends his days trying to learn to draw like Rembrandt.
Which is all very well. But what – gripped as the nation is with pre-Brisbane tension – has it got to do with the Ashes? Perhaps there are some lessons to be learnt from Afridi's record. During the recent period of Australian greatness some of this intoxicating six‑culture did filter through to the long game. Steve Waugh's Australian team implemented the tactic of aggressive and muscular fast-scoring as an intimidatory tactic in Test Matches (witness Matthew Hayden thrillingly plonking Andy Caddick into the crowd on the first morning of the 2002 Ashes series). A concussive approach has duly become a part of the Ashes lexicon. This week we have had the usual talk about making statements and going toe-to-toe and the sense that everything hangs on that first great clashing of front row skulls in Brisbane.
But these are different times and different teams. Eight players from the top 50 Test-match six-hitters of all time played in the 2005 Ashes series. Adam Gilchrist, Hayden, Andrew Flintoff, Marcus Trescothick, Justin Langer and Shane Warne (37 sixes! Five more than Garry Sobers!) have all gone now. Only Ricky Pointing and Kevin Pietersen remain. It might be wise to adopt, rather than settle for in retreat, a rather more sedate and attritional approach this time; and perhaps even quite refreshing too

Pak vs SA 4th ODI Result: Pakistan Heading Towards Series Win After 2-2

Pak vs SA

In the ongoing 5 ODI series Pakistan is 1-2 after 3 ODIs against South Africa. These ODIs are being played at neutral grounds in Abu Dhabi and Dubai. The first ODI was won by SA, second went to Pakistan because of a solid century by Abdul Razzaq and third again was won by South Africa. The fourth ODI played at Dubai International Cricket Ground, Dubai is important for both the teams. If South Africa wins this ODI, they win the series before the final ODI to be played on 8th November. It is critical for Pakistan to win this ODI so as to level the series, prove their worth and keep hopes alive for winning the series against South Africa.

South Africa won the toss and decided to bat first. Graeme Smith played a brilliant knock of 92 runs. Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and Miller were disappointing in batting whereas AB de Villiers, JP Duminy, Ingram and Botha contributed considerable runs to South African innings of 274 for 6 wickets in 50 overs. Both’s 28 in 15 balls with 6 fours was an excellent piece of batting in the last couple of overs assisted by Ingram’s 27 in 25 balls. Pakistan needed 275 runs to win the match and level the series to 2-2. Else the series goes to South Africa by 3-1 with last ODI left merely for record purposes.
Imran Farhat and Mohammad Hafeez opened Pakistani innings. First shock for Pakistan came in first over’s last ball when Farhat got out at 2. Mohammad Hafeez is a promising all rounder and that he has proved in the past. The same he did again by playing a very useful quick innings of 42 runs made in just 29 balls with 5 fours before he got out leg before by Steyn in 10th over. Pakistan was 64 for two at that time. Asad Shafiq and Younis Khan tried to steer the innings with their useful individual scores and a good partnership between the two. Unfortunately Asad got run out at 36. Fawad Alam also could not do much and got out cheaply at 6 runs. Pakistan innings reduced to 131 for 4 wickets in 25th over. Exactly after 40 runs, Captain Shahid Afridi got out at 29 made in 25 balls. Younis Khan got out at 73 made in 115 balls bowled out by Morkel.
Two balls later, Abdur Rehman got run out without opening his account. Pakistan innings was getting into trouble by then with 220 for 7 in 43rd over, requiring 55 more runs and 3 wickets remaining. The troubles increased when Abdul Razzaq, the 2nd ODI centurion, got out at 33 and innings total as 244 for 8 in 46.1 overs. 23 balls remaining, 2 more wickets and 31 runs to be made seemed like an uphill task for Pakistan.
But kudos should go to Pakistan tailenders. Wahab Riaz and Zulqarnain Haider did not surrender and tried to move towards goal. Wahab made 18 runs in 10 balls and got out in the last over with 3 balls remaining and two runs to win. It could go either way, Pakistan could lose their last wicket, or the balance 2 runs be made by them to win the match and level the series by 2-2.
Finally on the penultimate ball of the innings the winning run was taken and Pakistan wins this enthralling match by 1 wicket. The series is leveled at 2-2. Last match is definitely going to be a do or die for both the teams.
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