There was no elaborate pre-nets routine when Shahid Afridi’s turn to train came at the P Sara Oval on Wednesday. He didn’t go through meticulous inspection of the bat or other cricketing gear like a Sachin Tendulkar or a Rahul Dravid would often do. Only a quick assessment preceded Afridi’s intense net session. | |
| Even while batting at the nets, Afridi didn’t give any instructions to a group of bowlers – a mix of Pakistanis and locals as he went about smashing them around, occasionally mis-hitting a few. It was simply uncomplicated hitting, just downright aggression. In that sense Afridi is an original, an irreplaceable character. He has his own method to tackle the bowlers, captaincy and media and most of the time it’s as blunt as his bat. During his unique career, Afridi has proved so many of his critics wrong. He has also given his fans some really disappointing moments and he has always been his own man. So the sceptics would not have been entirely wrong to doubt Afridi’s ability to lead Pakistan in the World Cup 2011 in the aftermath of a plethora of controversies that followed Pakistan for most part of the last one year. But Afridi has, this time, proved the doubters wrong, leading Pakistan into the quarterfinals of the quadrennial mega show. There was a dash of maturity in the way he led the former champions. There were some potentially explosive scenarios like the Akmal brothers issue and resting of Shoaib Akhtar, but Afridi has handled them with the slickness of a politician. A younger Afridi could have exploded in anger and frustration but the latest version of him has learned how to control the situation without sacrificing his natural straightforwardness. “The Akmal issue has been discussed enough and my stand is pretty clear. About giving opportunities to Riaz and Asad Shafiq I think, our combination is settled. Riaz is bowling well but Akhtar remains our prime bowler. Shafiq has done well in the chance he has received (against Zimbabwe) but we will take a call according to the demands of a match,” he said. Those are words that will make a seasoned administrator proud. But more importantly, Afridi has reinvented himself as a leg-spinner in this tournament, leading the chart of wicket-takers, picking up his 300th one-day scalp along the way. Afridi’s willingness to experiment has given Pakistan a shot in the arm, also lending a lot of flexibility to their team combination. Afridi is no more a part-time spinner as he had viewed himself in the past. Pakistan were in real danger against Canada, getting bundled out for a sub-200 total and Afridi put his hand up to take his team out of trouble. Shift in tactic Sensing the comfort level of the Canadian batsmen against his leg-spin, Afridi suddenly shifted to seam-up deliveries bowled from the same busy action and the Canadians didn’t expect anything like that, succumbing to deliveries that at times measured up to 130 kmph. It was a special effort from a special performer. “I love and enjoy my bowling these days and hopefully I can take a few more (wickets) that will help the team. Yes, these days I am concentrating a lot on my bowling and it’s good to see my effort is paying off,” Afridi said. At long last, the 31-year old seems to have understood his potential, his role and the ways to contribute to his team’s success consistently. Let’s watch out for more Afridi days then. | |
