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Friday March 29, 2024

In the twilight of his international career,Afridi is a man at peace with himself

Coffee with Lala

By our correspondents
March 05, 2015
NAPIER, New Zealand: Dressed in a fitted jeans and T-shirt and wearing slippers, Shahid Afridi came across as a man who is at peace with himself, writes Khalid Hussain.
He has surely mellowed down and his daredevil approach is all but gone.
From a 16-year-old who belted what was then world cricket history’s fastest century in his very first One-day International innings, Afridi has matured into a vastly-accomplished veteran with almost a 20-year experience.
Many won’t agree.
Maturity and Lala do not mix well, or so it seems.
Over the years, Afridi has made millions of his fans weep both tears of joy and sorrow almost in equal measure. He has stunned them with Herculean feats and then stunned them again with his devil-may-care attitude.
Now in the twilight of his international career, Afridi continues to remain a puzzle for both his fans and his critics. They wonder whether it’s possible for a cricketer with truckloads of international experience to remain as unpredictable as Afridi. Most are convinced he will never change.
But looks might be deceptive.
As we sat at a funky coffee shop a stone’s throw away from the posh Scenic Hotel – Pakistan team’s abode in Napier - it didn’t take me long to register that Afridi is now a changed man.
He talked less and tried to listen more. There was this conscious effort to stay away from controversial issues even though our interaction was far from a formal interview. There was this fatherly concern in his voice when he talked about younger players like Ahmed Shehzad. He sounded like a man ready to move on to some other goals.
And every now and then there was this one sentence that he spoke as he was talking to himself. “I’m feeling more and more relaxed,” he said. “As this World Cup progresses with every match it seems that pressure is lifting off my shoulders.”
Initially I wasn’t sure whether he was happy or sad.
And then it became pretty clear.
Playing his last World Cup, Afridi knows that he is now entering the final phase of his career that began way back in 1996.
He wants to sound happy but he can’t. The idea that very soon he would be away from the action seems to have finally sunk in. And he knows he is going to miss it.
Afridi was too young when he became an international star with his memorable blitz against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. He has only known the life of stardom, being the most popular man in Pakistan for years.
“I’m looking forward to going back home,” he said referring to the fact that he doesn’t look forward to long and arduous tours anymore.
But he knows that before going home, there is a goal that has to be achieved.
Playing his fifth World Cup, Afridi wants to retire after winning the coveted crown for Pakistan.
Does he think Pakistan that have what it takes to win the World Cup?
“Of course we can win it. But we have to first believe that it’s possible and then just go all out for it.”
Less than 24 hours after our long chat over coffee, Afridi was back in action at McLean Park against UAE.
Needing a single to reach the 8000-run milestone, Afridi sliced UAE seamer Amjad Javed for a six over deep cover. He went on to smash 21 off seven balls to help Pakistan to reach 339-6.
It was a useful cameo and came as an apt reminder of what Afridi is still capable of. On his day he can still rip any bowler apart.
Then, Afridi took wickets in three balls during an impressive spell of 2-35 in ten overs to play his role in his team big win. It took his overall haul in ODIs to 395 wickets. Five more wickets and he will become the first man in international cricket to reach 8000 runs and 400 wickets in ODIs.
He could reach that goal during the World Cup. Or he might not. But Afridi is not thinking about it. He is happy with whatever he has achieved in his colourful career. Anything more, he says, will be like bonus.