After the horrific scandal that the young Pakistani cricket team has suffered during the ongoing tour of England, limited overs Captain Shahid Afridi is back in action to revive cricket on the pitch. The controversial bookmaking scandal was the last thing any cricketing nation needs, especially Pakistan, as the country is already under a lot of pressure in economic, political and social terms owing to the latest floods which have displaced millions across the country.Captain Salman Butt along with pacers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir have been accused of spot-fixing, due to their alleged links with Majeed Mazhar, according to a News of the World sting operation. Their cell phones were confiscated as soon as they were caught by the Scotland Yard. Ijaz Butt had earlier stated that no solid evidence had come to light. But after thorough deliberations, their respected board has decided to drop them for the limited-over’s game. However, according to Yawar Saeed, the players will not be suspended.
Afridi is looking forwards to come back to playing cricket rather than making the headlines for all the wrong reasons. High-spirited Pakistani captain is trying to put things in order and the win against Somerset at Taunton by 8 runs is going to help his cause.Afridi says, "What has happened has gone. We are here to play good cricket. It's a big challenge for me personally; playing in English conditions is always difficult. I and the coach [Waqar Younis] are trying to keep morale high. It's always very difficult in these conditions against a good team but they are all really focused."
Afridi has played 296 ODI’s, scoring over 6,000 runs at an average of 23.93. The all-rounder made his debut in 1996 and is currently nearing 300 wickets at an average of 34.73. Afridi is also known as “Boom Boom Afridi” who holds the record for the fastest ever ODI century in just 37 balls. Shahid has an impressive strike rate of 111.65 runs per 100 balls in ODI cricket and a healthy strike rate of over 85.00 in test cricket.
Shahid Khan Afridi is a specialist in the limited overs version of cricket. He’s an impact player who has the ability to change the entire course of the game within a few overs. As destructive as he is, the young skipper resigned from test cricket earlier in the ongoing English tour as test captain, saying that the longest format did not suit his style of cricket.
Before the controversial match-fixing incidents, Afridi had shown a great deal of concern and interest in the relief work for flood victims in Pakistan. The skipper has donated a lot for the cause to rehabilitate flood victims in the country and believes that the ODI series in England will help in giving some relief to the grief-stricken people of his country.
In all this mess created by the Pakistani cricket team, the entire nation is looking towards Afridi to do something special in this time of need. The master blaster batsman promises an eventful ODI and T20 series against the Englishmen. One can only hope and wait that this son of Pakistan is able to bring joy and happiness to his people.
