Shahid Khan Afridi
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (Urdu: صاحبزادہ محمد شاہد خان آفریدی) (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency to Pathan parents of the Afridi tribe in Kohat), popularly known as Shahid Afridi or by his nickname Boom Boom Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer currently playing for the Pakistani national team. He made his ODI debut on October 2, 1996 against Kenya in Nairobi [1] and his Test debut on October 22, 1998 against Australia at Karachi.[2] He is known for his aggressive batting style, and currently holds the highest career strike rate in the history of international cricket. In a recent survey, Afridi was named as the most popular cricketer in Pakistan.[3]
Shahid Afridi
Pakistan
Personal information
Batting style Right hand bat
Bowling style Right-arm medium
Legbreak googly
Career statistics
Tests ODIs
Matches 26 251
Runs scored 1683 5284
Batting average 37.40 23.48
100s/50s 5/8 4/28
Top score 156 109
Balls bowled 3092 10001
Wickets 47 215
Bowling average 34.89 35.81
5 wickets in innings 1 2
10 wickets in match 0 n/a
Best bowling 5/52 5/11
Catches/stumpings 10/- 83/-
As of 24 January 2008
Style
His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname "Boom Boom Afridi" for his world's second fastest century. As of May 22, 2007, he has an ODI strike rate of 109.38 runs per 100 balls, the highest in the game's history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13 in Tests. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease. He hits many sixes long and high, favoring straight down the ground or over midwicket. A trademark shot is a crossbatted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump.[4]. This explosive style has led to some memorable shots, most notably the first ever 12 in power cricket in 2002, where Afridi successfully hit the roof. [5] However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 5000 ODI runs at an average under 25.[6]
Bowling-wise, his stock ball is the leg break, but his armory also includes the conventional off break and a 'quicker one' which he can deliver at nearly 80 mph in the style of a medium-pacer. He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsmen, which is very rare for a spin bowler. [7].
To be continoue