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| Is Shahid ‘Afraidi’ of batting? |
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Wednesday, June 25, 2008
KARACHI: When Shahid Afridi walked in to bat with Pakistan precariously placed at 140-5 here on Tuesday evening, the stage seemed set for the all-rounder, who was once regarded as the most fearsome pinch-hitter in the game, writes Khalid Hussain.
Pakistan’s innings was still just about 23 overs old and the conditions seemed quite perfect for somebody like Afridi. It was a tailor-made opportunity for the 28-year-old to silence his critics, who’ve been questioning his batting form in recent times and not without reason.
In his last 23 One-day Internationals, Afridi has scored just a single fifty — a match-winning 85 on a batting paradise at Multan against minnows Zimbabwe — almost five months back.
The last of his four ODI centuries came way back on April 15, 2005, when he plundered India in a 46-ball 102 at Kanpur.
Had Afridi been in that kind of form, he would have massacred a Hong Kong attack that is made up for part-time cricketers to the delight of a small crowd here at the National Stadium.
But that Afridi seems to have become history now.
Just thirteen balls after joining young all-rounder Fawad Alam on the crease, Afridi was walking back to the pavilion after handing back a low yet comfortable return catch to left-arm spinner Nadeem Ahmed. ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi could score just four off the six balls he faced in the brief outing.
Such unimpressive batting displays have become a routine for Afridi, who many pundits still regard as one of the biggest assets of Pakistan cricket.
His aggression is still very much there but is now more visible in his leg-spin bowling rather than his batting. But the attacking streak seems to have deserted him, so has the lightning reflexes. He used to exude confidence on the field but that quality is hardly visible when Afridi goes out there to bat.
Is Afridi afraid of batting?
Ask former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja and he will tell you that something is definitely wrong with Afridi.
“I’ve been noticing a difference in the way he bats for quite sometime,” Rameez told ‘The News’ here at the National Stadium. “He (Afridi) seems to hesitate a lot. I’m not sure why but that is certainly affecting his batting,” added Rameez, an accomplished Test opener.
Rameez believes that Afridi needs to boost his confidence.
His cure for the seasoned all-rounder is simple: Afridi will have to bat up the order.
“I think the only way Afridi can overcome this lean patch is by batting up the order. He should be opening the innings. That way he would get plenty of overs and I’m sure that within a few games, he would be in full flow again.”
Rameez pointed out that Afridi has himself been wanting to return to his role as opener for quite sometime and should be given ample opportunities to bat at the top of the order.
“He might not click right away but he would click soon as an opener,” said Rameez. “I believe the team management will have to rethink Afridi’s position as his batting is falling apart. He is too big an asset for Pakistan cricket and needs to be utilised properly.”
Rameez pointed out that Pakistan cricket has only a few superstars and Afridi is one of them. “Thousands of youngsters come to the stadiums just to see a glimpse of Afridi. He is their star and Pakistan cricket needs him.”
But at the moment, the more important thing for Afridi is whether his team needs him.
Afridi, who has scored 5466 runs from 261 ODIs at 23.76, is doing well as a bowler. Some of the national selectors are of the view that Afridi can be a part of the national ODI squad on his bowling skills alone.
But Afridi, who smashed the fastest ODI century as a 16-year-old in only his second match, is aware that it is his batting prowess that made him a huge star almost overnight.
“He can still do well with the bat,” said Ramiz. “He just needs his confidence back.”
The sooner Afridi does that, the better it would be for Pakistan.
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ISSN 1563-9479 
