philreich
TheBrownDog
- Mar 2, 2014
- 58,549
- 147,447
- AFL Club
- Port Adelaide
I wonder what he wants to be when he grows up...
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I heard that they don't actually know what his exact date of birth is.
If nothing else he always made watching cricket fun.
One of my favourite passages of play of all time was only very brief (like most bit of play with Afridi) but it was at the height of my Watson hatred, durain't the neutral Pakistan Australia test series in England. Afridi only made about 39 or something and I'm pretty sure Watson eventually got him out (and celebrated like he'd bowled Bradman behind his legs I might add), but beforehand Afridi put him in the stands about 3 times and hit him for 4 a couple more, in the space of a few overs.
It was the most unadulterated slogging I've ever seen from a top 6 batsman. And I loved it.
Most overrated player of all time.........If nothing else he always made watching cricket fun.
One of my favourite passages of play of all time was only very brief (like most bit of play with Afridi) but it was at the height of my Watson hatred, durain't the neutral Pakistan Australia test series in England. Afridi only made about 39 or something and I'm pretty sure Watson eventually got him out (and celebrated like he'd bowled Bradman behind his legs I might add), but beforehand Afridi put him in the stands about 3 times and hit him for 4 a couple more, in the space of a few overs.
It was the most unadulterated slogging I've ever seen from a top 6 batsman. And I loved it.
Most overrated player of all time.........
I liked Afridi but his batting was fairly overrated, although his bowling imo probably underrated.
On Shane Watson would take him over Afridi as a player.
I probably would too - he was somewhat steadier. But Afridi's record in Tests, despite his ridonkulous approach to batting, proves he had a fair bit of natural ability. His bowling was more than serviceable, especially as someone who was never used in tests as a front liner.
And any ODI team in the world would take a spinner that takes a wicket per game, with an economy rate of 4.5 - who happens to occasionally play innings' that single handedly swing matches.
The real problem with Afridi, and why opinion of him declined, is that he really stayed on for a good 4-5 years too long.
If his age is actually fair dinkum, he hasn't played a test since he was 29 and he was 33 last time he played an ODI so that's perhaps a tad harsh, I understand where you're coming from though.
No way his age is fair dinkum.
Tests he retired early but nobody really remembers him as a test player anyway.
Which is harsh because statistically in all-round terms, he probably fared better there than in the other formats.
That's a fair pointWhen you only play twenty odd games and retire in your twenties its not harsh at all.
Geeze, I know time has gone by if I've seen Boom Boom finally retire. He was a cult hero growing up, until it seemed like everytime I'd take a piss or clicked back from another tab, he'd be out. The most frustrating thing about him is he was such a naturally gifted batsman, I remember a lot of innings in the middle order where he played within himself and was fully in control against the bowlers, until he realised there was still some work to be done with the tail and suddenly go for some crazy swipe across the line or hit it straight up in the air. He didn't seem to want to take responsibility for his team and do the hard yards, it smacked of childishness (no pun intended), which was a real shame. Still, a very handy legspinner and an entertaining campaigner, shame we didn't see more of him in the BBL too.
When he was first in the Pakistan team Wasim Akram said something like, look most of us have tried to tell him many times to use some sense when batting but he simply refuses to listen.
Batting overrated, bowling underrated is a great descriptor for his career.
Have always wondered how good he could have been if Pakistan had treated him like a Shaun Pollock-Klusener hybrid. Play him chiefly as a bowler at 7-8-9 but send him up the order if/when required for some demolition work.