Pakistan legend Shahid Afridi gives backing to under-fire skipper Sarfraz Ahmed

The history of cricket is replete with players who have astonished statisticians and followers alike, but the special category of ‘entertainer’ seems to be reserved for a select few, with Shahid Afridi’s name topping the list.

Known to his millions of adoring fans as ‘Lala’ or ‘Boom Boom’, Afridi shot to fame at an early age in 37 deliveries when he dispatched a bewildered Sri Lankan bowling attack to all parts of the ground in Nairobi, Kenya on the way to becoming the then-fastest ODI century-maker in 1996.


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The adrenaline-fuelled entertainment that Afridi’s batting became a trademark, amusing, delighting, frustrating and angering many in equal measure.

The shouts of ‘Boom Boom’ as he makes his confident walk up to the crease and his unique style of celebrating wickets continue to please his fans to this day.

Afridi last played an international game for the World XI in May of this year but continues to delight audiences in various leagues around the world, the latest being the 10 League in Sharjah.

To those who have followed his career closely, there seems to be no change to his boom-or-bust method of cricket.

As he explained during a recent charity event, his style of play was based more on his desire to score big rather than to indulge in deep thought as was exhibited by some other players of his time.

“When I played cricket I didn’t give it much thought, so nowadays I’m hardly playing cricket so I give it even less thought,” he said.

“But one thing I will say is that I believe that those who thought about cricket a lot were the ones who played cricket in a defensive and ‘Tuk Tuk’ way and could not hit fours and sixes when they were needed by their team.”

Pakistan’s recent Test series defeat against New Zealand has reignited the fears about their batting that were initially expressed at the time batting stalwarts, Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan, retired.

When it came to providing stability to the batting order and a helping hand to the many inexperienced players in the side, Khan’s presence was key for Pakistan’s success.

With over 10,000 runs in 118 Tests, Khan was a towering figure amongst his contemporaries and even towards the end of his career, as Afridi explained, the Pakistan batsman showed no signs of slowing down.

Afridi added: “I came up against and played alongside many great cricketers during my career, but I never came across such a hard-working cricketer as Khan.

“Even towards the end of his career when some players would be taking things a little easier, he was still training hard and working hard and was still a great role model for all cricketers.”

Pakistan’s Sarfraz Ahmed has come in for criticism of late – his position as captain in all three formats has drawn some fire from critics but the embattled Sarfraz has found a firm supporter in Afridi.

“I feel that the Pakistan team at the moment overall is doing well in all formats and Ahmed is doing a wonderful job leading the team which is not an easy task at all,” Afridi said.

“The bowling is looking strong, the batting continues to improve, and the fielding has shown a huge improvement in recent times.”

As a retired international cricketer with a huge fan following, Afridi has embarked upon another important stage of his life, using his fame to attempt to help improve the lives of the less fortunate.

“Since my cricket career has been winding down and I have been playing less frequently, my focus has been on my charity work and my foundation which is of huge importance to me,” he said.

“I have had great support for my foundation since it began, and I have a lot of people helping me around the world, but I urge more and more of you to support this cause so that we can build this brand.

“I need the backing of more people out there and to support my team so that my foundation and I can make a difference to many lives in future.”

A proud member of Pakistan’s 2009 ICC World Twenty20-winning team, Afridi has a good idea of what effort it takes to win a tournament of that stature.

While Pakistan were the surprise winners of the Champions Trophy in 2017, their subsequent performances in ODIs have left a lot to be desired, as was demonstrated in their struggles at the Asia Cup in September.

Sarfraz’s team appeared to have picked themselves up from that with a couple of good displays against New Zealand but there are doubts about how well they will perform outside their comfort zone in the UAE.

For Afridi, the Pakistan side will have their work cut out if they are to succeed in the 2019 World Cup in England believes that given the talent available, a World Cup victory is well within their capabilities.

“The conditions will be totally different to what Pakistani players are used to at home or in UAE,” Afridi said. “Let’s see if the Pakistani players can match their performances in the likes of Dubai and Abu Dhabi to England.

“As the Champions Trophy last year proved, I feel that Pakistan are more than capable of performing well at next year’s World Cup. I think they will do well and not let their fans down.”

Watch Pakistan’s three-Test series in South Africa live on Sky Sports Cricket – the opening Test starts at 7.55am on Boxing Day.

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