Afridi's time is up. He has played 232 One day internationals. Pakistan has stuck by him, but for all the wrong reasons. We have all been guilty of it. We like the glamor, we like the fact that's he's fearless, that he's an untamed spirit.
The point is, if you can't figure out to bat responsibly in international cricket after 200 games, you really can't expect everyone to keep supporting you.
We all know he can't change, but we all know cricket is changing. His form of cricket is best suited to Twenty20 now...if at all. Pakistan's failed policy of playing too many all-rounders is backfiring in this Champion's Trophy. The coach and selectors should figure out exactly why there is a requirement for certain players. Afridi, needs to be on their mind.
Lets talk stats shall we?
Afridi is thought to be a flat-track bully. Well....truth is, he prefers the slower dustier tracks that India and Pakistan provide. This table below only includes countries within which Afridi has played more than 10 ODI's. Hence the inclusion of UAE and Canada.
I didn't include West Indies, because he has only played 9 games there, but since the World cup is coming up...its all the more important. His average in WI is 26.22 runs with two 50's after 9 innings.
You know what's interesting from this chart? We are due to play South Africa right after the Champions Trophy. No doubt the selectors will choose Afridi again. The entire country will goo "Boom Boom" if we don't right?
1 - He can't play seaming wickets (Eng)
2 - He can't negotiate with bounce (SA, Aus)
3 - He can only play (and maintain his 'healthy' average) in subcontinental conditions.
Sigh...Why are people so stupid!? What Afridi needs is some time off. I like the guy. But he's not the solution to our cricketing crisis. He's one of the problems. Our attachment to something so romanticized. A great, strong Pathan, who doesn't care about authority or rules, and just goes out and does battle.
Who cares? This "warrior" average 20 odd, after 232 games. What he does is, takes the spot of a bowler or a batsman, who can actually score some blood runs. Remember? That's what we're here for....Lets move past him now!
The chart above explain Afridi's average by the year. Well, I needn't comment on anything. It's embarrassing to say that his average this year is around 7. Oh wait. He probably needs everything he can get. 7.69 then....Need anymore convincing?
This chart above, indicates batting by the position in which he has come in to bat. Apparently he insists on batting at 5. Here is Siddharta Vaidyanathan's column in which Younis (another failing batsman), is defending Afridi.
But is batting him at No.5 the option? "We want to utilize Shahid to the hilt," he continued. "As an opener, if he falls early, there is pressure on him and on us. If he comes low down the order, he doesn't have much time. We are trying to give him every chance so that he can settle down. Shahid is the kind of player who can win matches single-handedly. It hasn't paid off till now; it's part of the game.
What that's also meant is that Shoaib Malik, arguably Pakistan's most valuable player over the last two years, gets a chance only at No.6. Younis, though, didn't want that to change. "It's working for the team,"he justified. "He has made almost 100 runs in the first two matches, and he played a match winning knock in the first match. It's good for the team too. Before the tournament, he was out of form, and now is back in the runs. He is happy with his spot in the batting order."
Afridi at No. 5 and Malik at No. 6 meant that Younis needed to shoulder the burden at No. 3. He hardly made an impression in the first two games, managing scores of 7 and 2, but he insisted that it had nothing to do with the pressures of captaincy. "My form has nothing to do with captaincy," he asserted. "I am not the captain for the first time. Last year, in Karachi [against India], I led and performed and we won the game too. There is so much cricket that you can't maintain the same level every time. Ricky Ponting too hasn't made runs in two matches. But yes, as captain, your attention is divided. I am thinking for everyone now. I need to carry the youngsters. Maybe my focus has shifted a little away from my cricket. I need to start to get the focus back. I am constantly learning, I want to keep learning."
Pakistan has rotated its openers like....flies..I don't even know a good analogy. Yet we have kept our faith in Afridi. Salman Butt, Imran Nazir...and a bunch of others have come and gone. I think we should send him opening, or not at all. It's time to draw the line. Pakistan should play to win, and it should field the best team possible in order to do that. In my opinion, Shahid Afridi does not fit into the equation anymore.
Even Bob Woolmer seems like he has no power in this situation. From
Mr Vaidyanathan's verdict from the Pak-NZ game...Woolmer admitted that the Afridi conundrum was causing a few headaches. "Afridi is a very fine player, unfortunately he hasn't clicked which has created a hole. Shahid Afridi has stated that he wants a regular batting place in the side. So we told him No.5 is your place, so go out and perform. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, he has got out. He doesn't want to get out, he is trying his best."
Kamran Abbasi, in his
blog entry about Afridi....
But Afridi does need to change one thing. I agree with him that going in too late in the order is a waste of his unique talent. He does, however, need to be mentally prepared to go in anywhere between number 1 and 7 depending on the state of the game. This is not an unreasonable scenario for a mature cricketer. Afridi's oft stated request to bat at number 6 has the ring of an unnecessary obsession--and Afridi is a man of instinct not obsession.
All Pakistan fans--and many from other countries--need their dose of Boom Boom. He has looked a distracted cricketer for many months. One blitz will turn that distraction into joy.
Mr. Abbasi is stating the very facts that make Afridi an unnatural selection in the team, yet he is willing to bypass these FACTS and go straight to the 'joy' and the blitzes. If Afridi was more consistent, more responsible, I would be with everyone supporting him through this bad patch. But the time is up, and his shows of brilliance are too far an in between....He needs to go..
And knowing my luck, Pakistan's inconsistency, and Afridi's spontaneous nature...Afridi will do well tomorrow against South Africa....
