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Because the Twenty20 World Cup is Shahid Afridi’s, surely.
Against Scotland yesterday, he hit 22 off seven balls, which is actually useful in Twenty20 cricket and then took 4-19, which is useful in any form of cricket.
We originally thought that Twenty20 cricket wouldn’t show Afridi in his best light. Indeed we still do. The whole point of Shahid Afridi – and he might disagree with us on this – is that he plays in that ludicrous manner whatever the form of the game and whatever the match situation.
In Twenty20, with everyone else playing the same way, Shahid Afridi’s essential Shahid Afridiness is diluted. In Test cricket he stands alone. In Twenty20 he’s less of a one-off.
On the other hand, who in world cricket has had more practice playing this way than Shahid Afridi? No-one. Because Shahid Afridi’s been using Test cricket and conventional one-day internationals as net practice for the last ten years.
We’re backing Pakistan (as well as England) in this tournament. Why? Because of their consistency and reliability, that’s why. No, it’s actually because we think the Pakistanis have grown up with this kind of cricket and might therefore have a slight advantage.
Shahid Afridi comes from the great Pakistani tape ball tradition, where you try and slog a tennis ball, which has been semi-taped for added weight and potential swing, for as many runs as possible in as short a time as possible and the only way to stop a batsman is to get him out. Perfect preparation for Twenty20 cricket.
It’s funny that you guys thought that Afridi wasn’t suited to 2020. I thought he was born for it. Finally he can swing like a drunken housewife and not be told off. In fact i think he should be retired from both other forms of the game and saved just for 2020, like chris cairns was at the end of his career. Lets be honest he’s getting on a bit now, no one ever believed he was 16 when he started did they.
I’m looking forward to some further boom boom tomorrow against India. surely he can launch their youngsters a long, long way.
Also enjoying Mohammed ‘Crashraful’ and his brutal innings today. 61 off 27 is good going and I like his Afridi style.
Rod, we do think he’s suited to Twenty20. It’s just that 30 ball fifties in Twenty20 are nothing new. In Test cricket they’re a bit unusual.
Also spotted today: Dwayne Smith trying to out-Afridi Afridi with his 29 off 7 including three sixes on the trot.
I know what your saying about Afridi, but i suppose what i was trying to say was, he is the only person in this tournament who has been practising for 2020 his whole life. So there is no reason he shouldnt step up and dominate from here on in. 2020 was pretty much designed with him in mind.
Hey, stop plagiarising us in the comments of our own post.
“Shahid Afridi’s been using Test cricket and conventional one-day internationals as net practice for the last ten years”
Mind you, we’ve been making entire posts out of things from the comments for years, so I suppose it’s only fair.
Whooooah,
Stop it with the cricket discussion, remember where you are.
I did say since birth, which is longer than 10 years, but yes sub consciously your brilliant writing did seep out in my appeal.
i humbly apologise, just like Damien Martyn did when he threw that indian dude off the podium.
Afridi has been quite a revelation with the ball this tournament. Perhaps that is another aspect of his “Afridiness” – he is only effective bowling to other Afridis (not the members of his Pashtun clan, but rather players who play like him).
Considering that it is his Afridiness, and lack of Tavareness, that has prevented him from gaining a consistent spot on the test team, perhaps he is lucky that it seems that all the action with be in 2020 from here on out. . .. .