Has Shahid Afridi lost the boom boom factor? Is Captaincy taking the better of him?

Remember the days when cricket lovers all over the world would anxiously wait for Shahid Khan Afridi to step on the batting crease? The crowd would roar and cheer for him to hit sixes and fours, and Afridi, well he would usually respond by hitting a massive six or four on the very first ball he faced.

Where is that natural pinch hitter boom boom Afridi gone? Since Shahid Afridi has become the Captain of the Pakistan side, his batting performance seems to have deteriorated significantly. He appears to be banking on his record-breaking past of holding the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket and also the record of the fastest century in a one-day international against Kenya in 1996 on his debut.  

Very few people know that Afridi started his career as a leg-spinner, playing once as a replacement for injured Mushtaq Ahmed. However, he immediately caught the eye of the team management, selectors and the then captain with his brilliant record-breaking century in his debut innings against Kenya.  He was consequently promoted to an opener position and he started opening the innings for Pakistan with Saeed Anwar.

His aggressive and attacking batting style earned him the name of “Boom boom Afridi”. He is known to change the mood of the audience with his massive hitting. However, his rash style of batting has increased the risk of him getting out early and has made him the most inconsistent batsmen in the team. Also, his lack of patience and good temperament hasn’t allowed him to stay longer at the crease. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 6000 runs in one-day internationals at an average of just under 25 runs.

According to many cricket analysts, Shahid Afridi performs brilliantly on the Subcontinent’s flat pitches but struggles on the bouncy tracks. During the past decade (2000-2010), Afridi performed best with the bat and ball in 2005 while on the tours of India, West Indies and England. But 2007 proved to be disastrous for him in terms of his batting as he failed in the World T-20 then. Nonetheless, he compensated for it by his great bowling, earning him the man of series award.

This year also, his performance as a batsman in ODIs has again been quite ordinary; he seems uncomfortable at the crease and usually gets dismissed within the first few overs that he faces. The only exception was the tour of Sri Lanka, where he managed to score two centuries. However, rest of the year so far has been an utter disappointment.

Even though he has toned down his aggression but still his batting cannot be called ‘risk-free’ as he manages to get dismissed early yet again.

The only rationale that one can put forward for Afridi’s recent less “boom boom” performance with the bat is that he is facing added pressure of Captaincy, which might be taking the better of him.

Also, he has been captaining a side that is going through one of its toughest and biggest challenges of surviving the spot-fixing allegations. The morale of players, management and the Captain himself must be really low, so to perform well in such a circumstance is a very difficult task as Afridi has the burden of holding the team together and carrying them forward, while also trying to excel his performance on the field.

Having said that, Shahid Afridi is one of his own kind; there has truly been none like him in the world of cricket. His temptation of slogging every ball that comes his way has been his basic trait which keeps the crowd at the edge of their seats and also leaves the opponents flabbergasted. Whenever Afridi comes to bat, the bowling side has absolutely no idea as to where they should place their fielders as Afridi’s style of batting is oh-so unpredictable.

AFRIDI CONFIRMS RIAZ COULD PLAY

Shahid Afridi would have no problem putting Wahab Riaz into the Pakistan team for Friday's crucial Natwest series match against England despite the fast bowler being questioned this week by police investigating the 'spot-fixing' controversy.

Seam bowler Riaz was interviewed and unconditionally released by police on Tuesday in the wake of the News of the World allegations that no-balls were purposely bowled during the fourth Test between Pakistan and England last month.
Three other members of the team - Salman Butt, Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif - have flown back to Pakistan after they were also questioned by the authorities over the allegations. All have protested their innocence.
Mohammad Irfan looks set to be dropped for the game at The Oval after his poor showing at Headingley, while a potential replacement for the giant seamer, Abdul Razzaq, has been suffering with a back niggle.
Razzaq is now nearing full fitness, but should his recovery be set back Afridi would be left with only Riaz as a near like-for-like alternative.
The Pakistan skipper insists Riaz, who took five for 63 on his Test debut at The Oval last month, is in the right state of mind to play despite his meeting with police earlier this week.
"I have no idea what is going on (with the police questioning) but what I do know is that he is a part of my squad," Afridi said.
"If I think it's right then I'll give him a chance. If I need him I will definitely go with him."
The off-field controversy surrounding Pakistan has come during a one-sided contest between the two sides this summer.
England swept aside Pakistan 3-1 in the Test series before the tourists were whitewashed in the Twenty20 series.
Defeats at Chester-le-Street and Headingley mean Afridi's team are on the brink of losing the five-match series after just three games.
Nevertheless, the charismatic captain is confident his side can win after seeing them just fall short of an unlikely victory at Leeds, where England reached their target of 295 with three balls remaining.
"I think the performance was very good but there were a few missed opportunities there," said Afridi, who was livid at Irfan for his poor showing in the field on Sunday.
"I hope that we don't repeat the same mistakes we did at Headingley this time around.
"I think we should take these opportunities and my team is capable of beating any team.
"We can win the match, definitely."
Afridi was speaking as Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt met with International Cricket Council president Sharad Pawar in New Delhi for talks on staging an India-Pakistan Test series for the first time since the Mumbai terrorist attacks in November 2008.
The two also discussed the 'spot-fixing' allegations, with Butt denying claims that the PCB had requested the ICC be lenient on 18-year-old Aamer due to his age, if he is found guilty of any offence.
"No demand has been given (for leniency)," PCB chairman Butt said. "If there is anything found in the investigation, then as far as we are concerned, there will be no tolerance."
Pawar, meanwhile did not hide his dissatisfaction at the allegations, saying the most severe punishments would be handed out if they prove to be true.

"Nobody wants to hide anything," Pawar said.

"The ICC will take ruthless action if spot-fixing is proved."

With captain Butt, Asif and Aamer unavailable for the foreseeable future after being suspended by the ICC while they investigate the claims, Afridi is already looking at potential replacements.

Afridi said: "Asif, Salman Butt and Aamer are from the playing XI so it has affected the team that they have gone home, but I know we have some talent and maybe after this tour I will sit down with the coach and the selection committee and find some new guys. We have a lot of talent back home."