His unconventional, fastish leg-breaks, flippers and zooters have left many bamboozled since the last couple of years, and right now, he looks to be Pakistan's biggest weapon. Afridi's deputy, Misbah-ul-Haq, was full of praise for his captain's wonderful bowling skills, which have become more lethal on Sri Lanka's slow wickets.
"I think in all conditions, especially here, Afridi is a difficult bowler to handle. He has variation, doesn't give time to the batsman. If he's bowling well, it's tough to play him, especially in these conditions, where he is getting the ball to grip the surface and drift it. It's tough for the batsmen to guess where the ball will go, how much it will drift," said Misbah. He feels the 'Afridi show' is helping the team no end. "His bowling is a strong point for us, especially the kind of aggression he's showing is very helpful for the team."
How well the team spirit is at the moment can be gauged when Misbah, an ODI captaincy candidate himself till some time back, goes on to praise Afridi the leader. "It's really good for a team that its captain is doing well. Every time we have played here, he has been the Man of the Match. However, others also need to play well and take responsibility. It takes pressure off him. Just because he's doing well doesn't mean that we put pressure on him," Misbah felt.
So, the talk about groupism (Misbah and Afridi supporters) therefore goes out of the window. Both work in tandem. "Of course, I give my input whenever it is required. We consult each other. He (Afridi) is doing the job very well, leading by example and is gelling the team well so whenever he needs my advice I give it and share my opinion with him," Misbah said.
Curiously, Pakistan hasn't had a team with senior players in good terms with one another.
Misbah, enjoying a rich run of form, knows well that the Kiwis will target him, but he underplayed that aspect. "They can't target just me, because before me there are three-four batsmen and if they get hundreds, then they won't be targeting me. Each of the six batsmen is important in our team," he asserted.
He also showed faith in Pakistan's struggling openers, Mohammad Hafeez and Ahmad Shehzad. "We have confidence in our openers. If they flop in one or two innings, it doesn't matter, it happens in cricket. Our top three are good, and there is no pressure on us if the top order fails. We senior players have to handle the pressure and that's the advantage of having us," Misbah said.
Misbah admitted that there were chinks in the Pakistani armoury, and they could be exposed on a wrong day for his team. "I think there is always some room for improvement. We need improvement in every department, especially in our batting, where we haven't used our Powerplays well," he said. Pakistan were shot out for 184 in 43 overs in their last game against Canada.
Playing at a new venue makes this unpredictable side's performance even more unpredictable. "We don't have stats of this ground, especially how it plays under lights. You have no idea how the pitch will play, though it looks hard and has grass. It is a tough situation for us, but you have to handle these things properly as professionals," he said.
As long as this 36-year-old dependable bat is around in the middle, Pakistan shouldn't have much to worry.
