Thursday, July 3, 2008

Asia Cup 2008: Afridi Cries for God

Following Afridi's first ball duck against Sri Lanka a few days ago, I had heard that Afridi was found crying in the dressing room.

I chose not to post on as I did not feel good writing about it.

Men don't cry. Or do they?

Well the news that Afridi shed some tears has found its way into the media and a number of sites are reporting it.

Times of India, NDTV, New India Press, The Hindu, and Tribune India are all carrying the story.

I guess the Pakistani media also felt bad reporting about it.

Not only do the reports mention Afridi's weeping, they also discuss Afridi's meeting with a "holy man" to seek help for getting out of his batting slump.

Reports mention that The "holy man" had told Afridi not to worry and advised him to relax and pray.

Amazing advise that is. I wonder if Matthew Hayden had met the same "holy man" during his slump in form that lasted some 30 innings or so.

The reports also mention that Afridi had asked the team management to drop him for the next few games.

I have no words for Afridi. He must be the first Pakistani player to make such a request. I wonder why then the captain and coach insisted on playing him.

He is a bowler for God's sake and even he knows that about himself. Why would he ask to be dropped?

Strange things.

Even stranger reporting.

The crying part is true though.

Make your pitch on this post...



Labels: , , ,


5 Pitched:

  1. Anonymous said...
     

    Q how will you play the sixth bowler with Afridi in the team, secondly what will you do when the tail will start after Misbah?
    I donot dispute that he is a good bowler,but you will agree with me his slot belongs to an allrounder.
    I know you will ask me who can replace him, to be very honest I do not know, but I would certainly like all the other options to be tried and Afridi and Malik should be given time to regain their form in the meantime.
    The board should not just dump them but should support them in every manner possible.

    A lot of people think that my criticism of Afridi is because of regionalism but that is not true, I would love to see him perform, my only objection on Malik and Afridi is because they are disrupting the balance of the team,
    Also I donot like players who donot perform and try to become a threat for the captain.

    Are you serious he is going to a holy man to regain his form, well that clearly shows he needs some time off, he might get mental solace from that holy man but he cannot fix his form or technique.
    I know many wont agree with me but honestly if Afridi has to save his career he should take some time off to regain his form.

  2. Anonymous said...
     

    Q

    This is really sad if Afridi was crying. I think this tells us how much he is committed and how much he wants to perform for Pakistan. The selectors who have supported him in the past have always used the pretext that he tries his best in every game.

    Sadly Afridi's batting style is dependent considerably on luck, as his batting is all about taking risks. His luck is not serving him these days.

    Afridi might not be selected in the future if he fails again with the bat tomorrow. I feel really bad for him because I believe he is captaincy material and I am sure were he captain, he would inspire the players and lead Pakistan to more victories. I think his bowling is good enough now to make him a candidate for captaincy. This year I have seen a lot of positive changes in him. His bowling has a lot of variety now, he reads the minds of the batsmen a lot better and as a human being he has become more mature and sensible.

    Leadership skills are imbued within his personality. Most people say that players from Punjab are better quality than players from Karachi. If that is the case which I think it is generally, then Afridi should be given a lot of credit for leading Karachi/Sindh to many victories in domestic competitions for a few years now.

    I hope he comes back to form and captains Pakistan. I think he will definitely make a better captain than Misbah, Malik or anyone else.

  3. Q said...
     

    Yep Wasim, I heard that Afridi went to see a Maulvi to seek guidance on why he felt so restless and nervous when he went out to bat.

    Khansahab, all ur points are valid. I know that Afridi always gives his best and he has definitely done a winderful job leading Karachi and Sindh on the domestic front.

    As u say he has matured as a person and as a bowler.

    I have long advocated for his captaincy, but Misbah really impressed me the other night.

  4. Q said...
     

    Wasim - abt the team balance.

    I feel its a must for any ODI team to have more than 5 bowling options. You limit urself if u go in with only 5 bowlers.

    Its an allrounders game unlike test matches where 4 bowlers should be enough.

    For Pakistan, the problem is 2 fold. If u opt for 6 bowling options then 1 of the openers has to be a make shift one - either the keeper or someone who can bowl like Afridi or Malik.

    That weakens the batting too much and I dont think the Butt-Nasir combo should be disturbed right now.

    And you can't displace either of Younis, Yousuf, or Misbah.

    Honestly speaking there are no replacements for Malik and Afridi. You won't get a batsman with the ability of Malik nor will u find an attacking bowler like Afridi on the domestic front.

    Its a tough one for me too to getthe balance of the ODI team right.

    This onlly shows u the dilemma of the selectors, captain, coach, etc.

  5. Anonymous said...
     

    OH! Stop such babies thing.

    Every day is not a good day and every match is not good match.

    Hope you could return back.

Post a Comment