Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former
cricketer
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
and captain of the
Pakistan national cricket team
The Pakistan national cricket team or Pak cricket team, often referred to as the Shaheens (), Green Shirts, Men in Green and Cornered Tigers is administered by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The team is a Full Member of the International C ...
. He is currently serving as the interim chief selector of the Pakistan cricket team. An
all-rounder
An all-rounder is a cricketer who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a handful of batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are consi ...
, Afridi was a right-handed
leg spin
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...
ner and a right-handed batsman.
Afridi made his ODI debut in 1996 against
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
. In his second ODI match against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, he played his first international innings and broke the record for fastest century in ODI cricket (doing so in 37 deliveries). He made his Test debut against
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in 1998. Afridi made his T20I debut against
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
in 2006. Afridi was named
player of the tournament of the
2007 T20 World Cup. Afridi was player of the match in the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
of the
2009 T20 World Cup scoring an unbeaten 54 and getting figures of 1/20 off of 4 overs as Pakistan went on to win the final. Shortly after Pakistan's win at the 2009 World Cup, Pakistan's captain,
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as ...
, announced his retirement from T20Is and Afridi was appointed as his successor. In 2010, Afridi was appointed Pakistan's ODI captain after the sacking of
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yusuf, Muhammad Yousuf and other spellings, may refer to:
Politicians
* Mohammad Yusuf (politician), prime minister and foreign minister of Afghanistan
* Mohammad Yousef, a governor of Daykundi of Province, Afghanistan
* Muhammad Yusuf ...
. Afridi was also appointed Pakistan's Test captain but retired from the format after one match as captain. He led the Pakistan team in the
2011 Cricket World Cup
The 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup was the tenth Cricket World Cup. It was played in India, Sri Lanka, and for the first time in Bangladesh. India won the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka by 6 wickets in the final at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai, thus ...
where they reached the semi-finals before losing to rival India. In 2011, Afridi was removed as ODI captain. In 2015, Afridi retired from ODI cricket. After Pakistan's group stage elimination from the
2016 T20 World Cup
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, the world championship of Twenty20 International cricket. It was held in India from 8 March to 3 April 2016, and was the first edition to be hosted by India.
Seven ...
, Afridi stepped down from captaincy. He was not selected afterwards and on 19 February 2017, Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket. He made a brief return to international cricket after being selected to represent and captain the World XI against the West Indies in the
2018 Hurricane Relief T20 Challenge charity match. Following the conclusion of the match, Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket again on 31 May 2018.
Afridi runs his own charity, the Shahid Afridi Foundation which aims to provide education and healthcare facilities. He also teamed up with
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
to promote the anti-polio campaign in the country. During the
2019 Coronavirus pandemic, he was involved in helping people across
Balochistan
Balochistan ( ; bal, بلۏچستان; also romanised as Baluchistan and Baluchestan) is a historical region in Western and South Asia, located in the Iranian plateau's far southeast and bordering the Indian Plate and the Arabian Sea coastline. ...
during the
lockdown
A lockdown is a restriction policy for people, community or a country to stay where they are, usually due to specific risks (such as COVID-19) that could possibly harm the people if they move and interact freely.
The term is used for a prison ...
in the country. This led to him contracting
COVID-19
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
on 13 June 2020. Afridi was also nominated among the top 20 most charitable athletes of 2015.
Early and personal life
In his autobiography, ''Game Changer'' (2019), Afridi claimed his year of birth as 1975.
But Afridi later clarified that his autobiography's first edition carried the wrong year and it was later confirmed that his date of birth was 1977.
It had earlier been reported that he was born in
Khyber Agency
Khyber District ( ps, خېبر ولسوالۍ, ur, ) is a district in Peshawar Division of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in Pakistan. Until 2018, it was an agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas; with the merger of FATA with Khyber Pak ...
, Pakistan, to an
Afridi
The Afrīdī ( ps, اپريدی ''Aprīdai'', plur. ''Aprīdī''; ur, آفریدی) are a Pashtun tribe present in Pakistan, with substantial numbers in Afghanistan. The Afridis are most dominant in Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal ...
tribe of
Pashtuns
Pashtuns (, , ; ps, پښتانه, ), also known as Pakhtuns or Pathans, are an Iranian ethnic group who are native to the geographic region of Pashtunistan in the present-day countries of Afghanistan and Pakistan. They were historically re ...
in 1980.
He belongs to a family of
Sufi pirs (teachers or spiritual masters) and his grandfather
Maulana Muhammad Ilyas was a well-known spiritual figure in Bhutan Sharif, a locality in the
Tirah Valley
The Tirah also spelled Terah ( ps, تیراہ) also called the Tirah Valley (), is a mountainous tract located in the Khyber district, lying between the Khyber Pass and the Khanki Valley in Pakistan.
Society
Lying close to the Pak-Afghan borde ...
. His other grandfather, Sahibzada Abdul Baqi, was given the title ''
Ghazi-e-Kashmir'' (conqueror of Kashmir) for his efforts during the
Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948
The Indo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, or the First Kashmir War, was a war fought between India and Pakistan over the princely state of Jammu and Kashmir from 1947 to 1948. It was the first of four Indo-Pakistani wars that was fought between t ...
.
He is married to his maternal cousin Nadia Afridi and has five daughters. In 2021, Afridi announced his eldest daughter Aqsa's engagement to cricketer
Shaheen Afridi
Shaheen Shah Afridi ( Urdu, Pashto: ; born 6 April 2000) is a Pakistani professional cricketer who plays as a fast bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team.
Early life and career
Afridi belongs to the Zakhakhel Afridi tribe of the Pasht ...
.
Domestic career
Afridi was drafted to the Pakistan senior national team after fine performances at the under-19 championship circuit starting the 1994–95 season. Playing for the Karachi Whites, he helped his team win the title the following season picking 42 wickets in five matches at an
average
In ordinary language, an average is a single number taken as representative of a list of numbers, usually the sum of the numbers divided by how many numbers are in the list (the arithmetic mean). For example, the average of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 7, ...
of 9.59. Later that season, Afridi had played against the visiting
England A and West Indies Youth teams and a few
first-class games for Karachi Whites in the senior National Championship. In 2001, Afridi signed a contract to represent
Leicestershire
Leicestershire ( ; postal abbreviation Leics.) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East Midlands, England. The county borders Nottinghamshire to the north, Lincolnshire to the north-east, Rutland to the east, Northamptonshire t ...
. In five first-class matches he scored 295 runs at an average of 42.14, including a highest score of 164,
and took 11 wickets at an average of 46.45;
Afridi also played 11 one day matches for the club, scoring 481 runs at an average of 40.08
and taking 18 wickets at 24.04.
His highest score of 95 came from 58 balls in a semi-final of the
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.
It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland. Lan ...
to help Leicestershire beat
Lancashire
Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated Lancs) is the name of a historic county, ceremonial county, and non-metropolitan county in North West England. The boundaries of these three areas differ significantly.
The non-metropolitan county of Lancashi ...
by seven wickets.
Derbyshire County Cricket Club
Derbyshire County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the historic county of Derbyshire. Its limited overs team is called the Derbyshire Falcons ...
signed Afridi to play for them in the first two months of the
2003 English cricket season.
T20 franchise career
IPL career
Afridi was signed by
Deccan Chargers
The large Deccan Plateau in southern India is located between the Western Ghats and the Eastern Ghats, and is loosely defined as the peninsular region between these ranges that is south of the Narmada river. To the north, it is bounded by the ...
, and played in the
inaugural season of the
IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
. He could only score 81 runs in 10 matches and picked up 9 wickets in the tournament. He did not play in the
2nd edition of
IPL
The Indian Premier League (IPL), also known as TATA IPL for sponsorship reasons, is a men's T20 franchise cricket league of India. It is annually contested by ten teams based out of seven Indian cities and three Indian states. The leagu ...
due to the tense atmosphere after the
2008 Mumbai attacks
The 2008 Mumbai attacks (also referred to as 26/11, pronounced "twenty six eleven") were a series of Terrorism, terrorist attacks that took place in November 2008, when 10 members of Lashkar-e-Taiba, an Islamist terrorist organisation from P ...
.
Pakistan Super League
In the
2016 PSL, Afridi was a part of the franchise
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi ( ur, ; ps, پېښور زلمي; literally meaning "Peshawar's youth") is a Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
as
captain
Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...
and as their
icon player
Icon player is a status given to an athlete to indicate that they are the most valued player in the team. The title is most commonly currently used in domestic cricket, particularly in the Bangladesh Premier League, Afghanistan Premier League an ...
. After the end of the 1st season, Afridi was made the president of
Peshawar Zalmi
Peshawar Zalmi ( ur, ; ps, پېښور زلمي; literally meaning "Peshawar's youth") is a Pakistani franchise T20 cricket team which plays in the Pakistan Super League and represents Peshawar, the capital city of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa pro ...
. Afridi stepped down as Peshawar Zalmi captain before the start of the
2017 PSL and gave the captaincy to
Daren Sammy
Daren Julius Garvey Sammy (born 20 December 1983) is a Saint Lucian cricketer who played international cricket for the West Indies. He is a two time T20 World Cup winning captain. On making his One-Day International (ODI) debut against Bangla ...
. Peshawar went on to win the title. After the end of the second season, Afridi left Peshawar Zalmi.
Afridi joined
Karachi Kings
Karachi Kings ( ur, ; sd, ڪراچي ڪنگز) (abbreviated as KK) is a Pakistani professional franchise Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team is based in Karachi, the provincial capital of Sindh, P ...
for the
2018 PSL
The 2018 Pakistan Super League (also known as PSL 3 or for sponsorship reasons, HBL PSL 2018) was the third season of the Pakistan Super League, a franchise Twenty20 cricket league which was established by the Pakistan Cricket Board in 2015. It ...
and was also made the President of Karachi Kings. He also transferred to Karachi as a player ahead of PSL drafts.
Afridi left Karachi after they didn't retain him for the
2019 PSL. In the
2019 PSL draft, Afridi was picked by the
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the P ...
in the platinum category.
During the
2020 PSL draft, Multan Sultans retained Afridi as a mentor. He was retained by
Multan Sultans
Multan Sultans (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 franchise cricket team representing the city of Multan in southern Pakistan in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The team was founded in 2017 as an additional sixth team added to the P ...
again prior to the
2021 PSL. Afridi played the initial part of the 2021 PSL but missed the remainder of the rescheduled tournament due to a back injury. For the
2022 PSL, Afridi played for
Quetta Gladiators
Quetta Gladiators (Urdu, Balochi: ; Pashto: کویټه ګلیډیټرز) is a Pakistani professional Twenty20 cricket franchise that competes in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). They play most home games at the 27,000-capacity Gaddafi Stadium ...
in what he announced would be his last PSL season. He later withdrew mid-season due to back problems.
Other Leagues
In June 2004, Afridi signed with English county side
Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
to play for them in three
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...
matches and one
Totesport League
The NatWest Pro40 League was a one-day cricket league for first-class cricket counties in England and Wales. It was inaugurated in 1999, but was essentially the old Sunday League retitled to reflect large numbers of matches being played on days o ...
match. Afridi played for
Southern Redbacks
Southern may refer to:
Businesses
* China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China
* Southern Airways, defunct US airline
* Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US
* Southern Airways Express, M ...
in the
2009–10 KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. He was part of
Ruhuna Royals in
2012 Sri Lanka Premier League
The 2012 Sri Lanka Premier League season was the debut edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League, established by Sri Lanka Cricket in 2011. The season ran from 11 to 31 August 2012. The tournament was originally scheduled to begin in 2011 but it w ...
but he returned to Pakistan midway through the tournament to attend his ailing wife.
In January 2015, Afridi was signed by
Northamptonshire Steelbacks for the
2015 T20 Blast where he reached to the final. In 2016, his services were acquired by
Rangpur Riders
The Rangpur Riders ( Rangpuriya/ bn, রংপুর রাইডার্স), is a professional cricket team based in Rangpur City, Rangpur. The Riders, compete in Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), the premier cricket league in Bangladesh.
...
for the
fourth edition of
Bangladesh Premier League
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
.
Shahid Afridi was part of the
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots
The St Kitts & Nevis Patriots are a Caribbean Premier League (CPL) cricket franchise based in Saint Kitts and Nevis, and participated in the competition for the first time in 2015. The team will play its home games at Warner Park, Basseterre, loc ...
in the
third season of the
Caribbean Premier League
The Caribbean Premier League (abbreviated to CPL or CPLT20) is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in ...
. He was included in the squad of
Jamaica Tallawahs
The franchise Jamaica Tallawahs is the representative team of Jamaica in the Caribbean Premier League of cricket. It was one of the six teams created in 2013 for the inaugural season of the tournament. The Jamaica Tallawahs play their home gam ...
for the
sixth edition of
Caribbean Premier League
The Caribbean Premier League (abbreviated to CPL or CPLT20) is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in ...
but pulled out before the start of the tournament due to knee injury.
In 2018, Afridi was chosen as an icon player and captain by the Paktia Panthers in the first season of
Afghanistan Premier League
The Afghanistan Premier League (APL) ( ps, ; fa, ), officially Gulbahar Afghanistan Premier League for sponsorship reasons, is a Twenty20 cricket franchise tournament run by the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB), held in the United Arab Emira ...
. In June 2019, he was selected to play for the Brampton Wolves franchise team in the
2019 Global T20 Canada tournament. In July 2019, he was selected to play for the Belfast Titans in the
inaugural edition of the
Euro T20 Slam
The Euro T20 Slam is a planned professional Twenty20 cricket league. The first edition of the tournament was initially scheduled to start in August 2019, with matches to be held in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands. It's launch has been post ...
cricket tournament. However, the following month the tournament was cancelled. For the
sixth edition of
Bangladesh Premier League
The Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ প্রিমিয়ার লীগ) is a professional Twenty20 cricket league consisting of seven franchises. The BPL is one of the three professional cricket leagues in ...
, he was included in the A+ category and was signed by
Comilla Victorians
Comilla Victorians ( bn, কুমিল্লা ভিক্টোরিয়ান্স) is a Bangladeshi professional men's cricket team which competes in the Bangladesh Premier League, a Twenty20 cricket league. The team is based in Cum ...
. In November 2019, he was selected to play for the
Dhaka Platoon
The Dhaka Dominators (Dhakaiya/ bn, ঢাকা ডমিনেটর্স) is a franchise cricket team that plays in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), representing the country's Dhaka City, Dhaka.
The team was originally established in 20 ...
in the
2019–20 Bangladesh Premier League. In October 2020, he was drafted by the
Galle Gladiators
Galle Gladiators are a Sri Lankan franchise professional Twenty20 cricket team that competes in the Lanka Premier League, Sri Lanka and representing the city of Galle, Southern Province. Nadeem Omar, who owns the Quetta Gladiators in Paki ...
for the
inaugural edition of the
Lanka Premier League
The Lanka Premier League (abbreviated as LPL; , ) is a professional cricket league in Sri Lanka in Twenty20 format contested every year by teams representing Sri Lankan cities from 2020. The league was founded by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) in 201 ...
.
In July 2021, he was picked by
Rawalakot Hawks
Rawalakot Hawks ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional T20 franchise cricket team competes in the Kashmir Premier League (Pakistan), Kashmir Premier League. They are captained by Ahmed Shehzad and coached by Arshad Khan (Pakistani cricketer), Ars ...
for the
first edition
The bibliographical definition of an edition includes all copies of a book printed from substantially the same setting of type, including all minor typographical variants.
First edition
According to the definition of ''edition'' above, a b ...
of the
Kashmir Premier League. He was also announced as the Brand Ambassador of the KPL. Initially he was picked by
Muzaffarabad Tigers but later he parted ways with
Muzaffarabad Tigers to join
Rawalakot Hawks
Rawalakot Hawks ( ur, ) is a Pakistani professional T20 franchise cricket team competes in the Kashmir Premier League (Pakistan), Kashmir Premier League. They are captained by Ahmed Shehzad and coached by Arshad Khan (Pakistani cricketer), Ars ...
and led the team to the title. On 26 July 2021, Afridi was signed by
Kathmandu Kings XI
Kathmandu Kings XI are a professional franchise cricket team based in the capital city of Nepal, Kathmandu. One of the major franchises in Everest Premier League since 2017,Which is owned by Ramesh Corp.
Management
The team was owned by Rohi ...
to play in Nepal's
Everest Premier League
Everest Premier League (EPL) ( ne, एभरेष्ट प्रिमियर लिग) is a franchise Twenty20 cricket tournament organized by EPL Pvt. Ltd., a private group in Nepal run by Aamir Akhtar alongside his team including Kie ...
.
For the
2022 KPL, Afridi joined
Jammu Janbaz
Jammu Janbaz (Urdu: ) is a Pakistani franchise cricket team that competes in the Kashmir Premier League. It was founded in 2022 after the inaugural edition of Kashmir Premier League. The franchise is owned by Ghulam Hussain Shahid. The franch ...
as a
mentor
Mentorship is the influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the personal and p ...
. Jammu Janbaz finished 5th and were eliminated in the group stage. In June 2022, he joined Mardan Warriors as a mentor for the
inaugural season of
Pakistan Junior League
The Pakistan Junior League (PJL) was a professional 20-over cricket league contested by Under-19 teams representing different cities of Pakistan. The league was soft-launched on 14 April 2022 by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman, Ramiz ...
.
T10 franchise career
In 2017, Afridi was announced as the brand ambassador of newly inaugurated
T10 League
T10 League or Abu Dhabi T10 is a Ten10 cricket league in the United Arab Emirates launched and owned by T Ten Sports Management. The league is approved by the Emirates Cricket Board. Matches are 10-overs-a-side and the duration of each match ...
in UAE. He was also signed by Team Pakhtoons and was given the captaincy. He was signed by Qalandars in 2020 as the icon player for the franchise. He had previously signed a similar deal in 2019 but the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) decided against issuing NOCs to Pakistan players for the tournament.
Afridi was chosen as the brand ambassador for the
Qatar Premier T10 Cricket League (QPL) which was launched in 2019 by
Qatar Cricket Association
Qatar Cricket Association is the official Sport governing body, governing body of the sport of cricket in Qatar. Its current headquarters is located in Doha, Qatar. Qatar Cricket Association is Qatar's representative at the International Cricket ...
.
He was signed by Bangla Tigers for the 2021–22 T10 League.
In 2022 Afridi launched his own T10 league called the Mega Stars League.
International career
Early years
In October 1996, Afridi was drafted into the ODI team during the four-nation
Sameer Cup 1996–97
The Kenya Cricket Association Centenary Tournament (also known as the Sameer Cup) was a four team ODI cricket tournament held in Kenya during the 1996–97 season.
Squads
Points table
Group matches 1st match
2nd match
3rd match
4th m ...
as a replacement for the injured
Mushtaq Ahmed. He made his debut on 2 October against
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
; however, he didn't bat and went wicketless. In the next match against
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka (, ; si, ශ්රී ලංකා, Śrī Laṅkā, translit-std=ISO (); ta, இலங்கை, Ilaṅkai, translit-std=ISO ()), formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an ...
, Afridi batted at
number three in the role of a
pinch-hitter
In baseball, a pinch hitter is a substitute batter. Batters can be substituted at any time while the ball is dead (not in active play); the manager may use any player who has not yet entered the game as a substitute. Unlike basketball, America ...
. In his first international innings, Afridi broke the record for fastest century in ODI cricket, reaching his hundred from 37 balls. The eleven sixes he struck also equaled the record for most in an ODI innings.
Pakistan posted a total of 371, at the time the second-highest in ODIs, and won by 82 runs; Afridi was named man of the match.
The record for fastest century in ODI was broken by
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
cricketer
Corey Anderson on 1 January 2014 who scored his century from 36 balls.
![Shahid Afridi Mohammad Aamer Fawad Alam Kamran Akmal Shazaib Hasan Huddle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Shahid_Afridi_Mohammad_Aamer_Fawad_Alam_Kamran_Akmal_Shazaib_Hasan_Huddle.jpg)
Two years after his international debut, Afridi made his Test debut in the third game of a three-match
series against Australia on 22 October 1998.
By this point he had already played 66 ODIs, at the time a record before playing Tests. He opened the batting, making scores of 10 and 6, and took five wickets in the first innings.
He played his second Test the following January during Pakistan's
tour of India; it was the first Test between the two countries since 1990. Again opening the batting, Afridi scored his maiden Test century, scoring 141 runs from 191 balls. In the same match he also claimed three wickets for 54 runs. After winning the first match by 12 runs, Pakistan lost the second to draw the series.
Rise in significance
![Shahid Afridi graph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7f/Shahid_Afridi_graph.png)
Afridi made his presence felt in the third Test against
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
in March 2005, scoring a quick-fire second-innings half-century and taking five wickets in the match (including Tendulkar twice) to help
Pakistan
Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...
to win the game and register a series draw.
In April, Afridi struck what at the time was the equal second-fastest century in ODIs; he reached 100 off 45 deliveries against India, sharing the record with West Indian
Brian Lara
Brian Charles Lara, (born 2 May 1969) is a Trinidadian former international cricketer, widely acknowledged as one of the greatest batsmen of all time. He topped the Test batting rankings on several occasions and holds several cricketing reco ...
. Afridi was more consistent with his batting and bowling throughout 2005.
Pakistan's coach,
Bob Woolmer
Robert Andrew Woolmer (14 May 1948 – 18 March 2007) was an English cricket coach, cricketer, and a Sportscaster, commentator. He played in 19 Test cricket, Test matches and six One Day Internationals for the England cricket team and later coach ...
, helped Afridi to reach a fuller potential by improving his shot selection and giving him free rein over his batting attitude.
On 21 November 2005, Shahid Afridi was banned for a Test match and two ODIs for deliberately damaging the pitch in the second match of the three-
Test
Test(s), testing, or TEST may refer to:
* Test (assessment), an educational assessment intended to measure the respondents' knowledge or other abilities
Arts and entertainment
* ''Test'' (2013 film), an American film
* ''Test'' (2014 film), ...
series against England. Television cameras pictured him scraping his boots on the
pitch scuffing the surface when play was held up after a gas canister exploded. Afridi later pleaded guilty to a level three breach of the
ICC code of conduct relating to the spirit of the game. Match referee
Roshan Mahanama
Deshabandu Roshan Siriwardene Mahanama ( si, රොෂාන් මහානාම; born 31 May 1966) is a former Sri Lankan cricketer and a former ICC match referee. He was a key member for 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team for Sri Lanka. ...
said: "This ban should serve as a message to players that this type of behaviour is not allowed."
On 12 April 2006, Afridi announced a temporary retirement from Test cricket so that he could concentrate on ODIs, with a particular focus on the
2007 World Cup, and to spend more time with his family. He said he would consider reversing his decision after the World Cup. Afridi had played ten Tests since being recalled to the side in January 2005, averaging 47.44 with the bat including four centuries. However, on 27 April he reversed his decision, saying that "
oolmertold me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me".
Before Pakistan
toured England in July to September, Afridi played for
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
as an overseas player in the
C&G Trophy
The Friends Provident Trophy was a one-day cricket competition in the United Kingdom.
It was one of the four tournaments in which the eighteen first-class counties competed each season. They were joined by teams from Scotland and Ireland. Lan ...
.
In six matches, he scored 128 runs and took seven wickets. England won the four-match Test series 3–0; Afridi played two matches, scoring 49 runs and took three wickets. It was the last Test cricket Afridi played until 2010.
Afridi was charged on 8 February 2007 of bringing the game into disrepute after he was seen on camera thrusting his bat at a spectator who swore at him on his way up the steps after being dismissed. Afridi was given a four-game ODI suspension, the minimum possible ban for such an offence, meaning that he would miss Pakistan's first two 2007 World Cup matches. The PCB and Afridi chose not to appeal the ban, despite feeling that the punishment was excessively harsh.
In the
2007 World Twenty20, he didn't perform well in terms of batting but ended the tournament as the joint-second highest wicket taker, earning the Man of the Series award. In the
final
Final, Finals or The Final may refer to:
*Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event
** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...
he failed to take a wicket in the final and was out for a golden duck.
He also became the first person to receive the Player of the Tournament award in T20 World Cup history. But in the
next T20 World Cup, Afridi performed well, scoring 50 runs in the semi-final and 54 in the final which lead to Pakistan winning the World Cup.
Captaincy (2009–2011)
Shortly after Pakistan won the
2009 ICC World Twenty20
The 2009 ICC World Twenty20 was an international Twenty20 cricket tournament organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) that took place in England in June 2009. It was the second ICC World Twenty20 tournament, following the inaugural ...
, the captain:
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as ...
, announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket. The
Pakistan Cricket Board
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a sports governing body for cricket in Pakistan responsible for controlling and organising all tours and matches undertaken by the Pakistan national cricket team. A member of the International Cricket Coun ...
(PCB) subsequently announced that Shahid Afridi had taken over as captain in T20Is; the appointment was initially for one match, with a decision on the permanent replacement to be made later. His spell of 6–38 against Australia in 2010 was voted as the Best ODI Bowling Performance of 2009 by ESPNCricinfo. On 31 January 2010, Afridi was caught on camera biting into the ball towards the end of the 5th
Commonwealth Bank
The Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), or CommBank, is an Australian multinational bank with businesses across New Zealand, Asia, the United States and the United Kingdom. It provides a variety of financial services including retail, busines ...
ODI
series in Australia.
Later Afridi pleaded guilty to
ball tampering and he was banned from two
Twenty20
Twenty20 (T20) is a shortened game format of cricket. At the professional level, it was introduced by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2003 for the inter-county competition. In a Twenty20 game, the two teams have a single innin ...
internationals.
In March 2010 the board announced that Shahid Afridi had been appointed ODI captain in place of the sacked
Mohammad Yousuf
Mohammad Yusuf, Muhammad Yousuf and other spellings, may refer to:
Politicians
* Mohammad Yusuf (politician), prime minister and foreign minister of Afghanistan
* Mohammad Yousef, a governor of Daykundi of Province, Afghanistan
* Muhammad Yusuf ...
. He led Pakistan in the
2010 Asia Cup and during his first three matches as ODI captain he scored two centuries against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh he finished as the tournaments highest runscorer with 265 runs from 3 matches.
On 25 May 2010, Afridi was appointed captain of the national team in all three formats, after he announced his return to Test cricket. In July 2010, Afridi captained Pakistan in the first Test of the series at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
against Australia. He scored 31 off 15 deliveries in the first innings and 2 in the second but was dismissed succumbing to rash strokes in both the innings. After the match, he announced retirement from Test cricket again citing lack of temperament for Test cricket as the reason. Afridi was officially removed from the Test squad on the England tour, but after the
spot-fixing scandal saw
Mohammad Asif,
Mohammad Amir
Mohammad Amir ( ur, ; born 13 April 1992) is a Pakistani cricketer and bowler for the Pakistan national cricket team. He is playing as a left-arm fast-medium bowler and uses his left hand when batting.
Amir made his first-class debut in N ...
and Test captain
Salman Butt
Salman Butt (, born 7 October 1984) is a former Pakistani cricketer and captain who played for Pakistan national cricket team between 2003 and 2010, before getting banned for five years for his involvement in 2010 spot-fixing scandal.
He had ...
temporarily suspended by the
International Cricket Council
The International Cricket Council (ICC) is the world governing body of cricket. Headquartered in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, its members are List of International Cricket Council members, 108 national associations, with 12 List of Internation ...
, he stated that he might return to Test cricket if "the team needs it". According to a representative of Afridi, he had voiced his concerns about Mazhar Majeed – who had approached Pakistan's players – in June. Majeed also confirmed that he approached Afridi,
Abdul Razzaq
ʻAbd al-Razzāq (ALA-LC romanization of ar, عبد الرزاق) is a male Muslim given name, and in modern usage, surname. It is built from the Arabic words '' ʻabd'' and ''al-Razzāq'', one of the names of God in the Qur'an, which give rise to ...
,
Younis Khan
Mohammad Younis Khan PP SI (Urdu: ; Pashto: ; born 29 November 1977) is a Pakistani professional cricket coach and former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team in all three formats of the game, and is widely regarded as ...
and
Saeed Ajmal
Saeed Ajmal SI ( Punjabi, ; born 14 October 1977) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer, who played all forms of the game. He is a right-arm off-spin bowler who bats right handed.
At domestic level in Pakistan he represented Fai ...
but all off them refused to be affiliated with him of his fixing menace. No disciplinary action was taken against them by the
ICC.
In October, Afridi stated in an interview with ''Express News'' that the squad for the
series against South Africa had been selected without his consultation; the PCB gave him an official warning for the interview. Coach
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla HI ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the grea ...
also expressed his unhappiness at having no input in the selection; however,
Mohsin Khan, the chief selector, defended the decision, stating, "it is not written down in the PCB constitution that the coach and captain(s) must have a say in the selection of any squad". Pakistan lost the series 3–2.
![Shahid Afridi at the County Ground, Taunton, during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England - 20100902](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Shahid_Afridi_at_the_County_Ground%2C_Taunton%2C_during_Pakistan%27s_2010_tour_of_England_-_20100902.jpg)
The team
toured New Zealand between December 2010 and February 2011 for two Tests, six ODIs, and three T20Is. Pakistan lost the first two T20Is but won the third; in final match Afridi became the first cricketer to reach 50 international wickets in the format. In the same match, he also became the first cricketer to have completed the double of 500 runs and 50 wickets in the T20 Internationals.
When Pakistan's squad for the 2011 World Cup was announced no captain was named; Afridi, the incumbent ODI captain and
Misbah-ul-Haq
; born 28 May 1974) is a former Pakistani cricket coach and former international cricketer. Misbah captained Pakistan in all formats and is former head coach and former chief selector of the Pakistan national team.
A late bloomer, Misbah was a midd ...
, the Test captain, were the front runners for the position. Pakistan lost the first match against New Zealand by 8-wickets, the second match got rained out and in the third Mohammad Hafeez scored a century and Afridi scored a blistering 65 from just 25 balls. The following match was a tight game but Pakistan prevailed by two-wickets thanks to three boundaries from Sohail Tanvir, the match was set up by a 93 not out from Misbah-ul-Haq. The fifth ODI was won for Pakistan by 43 runs courtesy of a maiden ODI-century from Ahmed Shehzad. Afridi helped in the lower order by scoring 24 and taking two crucial top order wickets to help guide Pakistan to a 43-run victory and their first ODI series win in two years.
After gaining victory as a captain against New Zealand, the PCB declared Shahid Afridi as Pakistan's captain for the 2011 World Cup. In Pakistan's opening match of the tournament, Afridi took 5 wickets for 16 runs against
Kenya
)
, national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"()
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
, giving him the best bowling figures by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup. In the following match against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won, Afridi claimed four more wickets to help his side to victory and became the second player to have scored 4,000 runs and taken 300 wickets in ODIs.
He claimed 17 wickets from 6 matches in the first round of the Cup, including a five-wicket haul against Canada, as Pakistan finished top of their group and progressed to the next stage. After beating the West Indies in the quarter-final, with Afridi taking four wickets, Pakistan were knocked out of the semi-finals in a 29-run defeat to India. Afridi was the tournament's joint-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets, level with India's
Zaheer Khan
Zaheer Khan (born 8 October 1978) is an Indian former professional cricketer who played all forms of the game for the Indian national team from 2000 till 2014. He is a fast-medium left-arm bowler. He was the second-most successful Indian pace ...
, even though Afridi had played one match less than him.
Soon after the World Cup Pakistan
toured the West Indies for a T20I, five ODIs, and two Tests. Pakistan lost the only T20I but won the ODI series that followed 3–2. Afridi took two wickets and scored 28 runs in the series. The coach, Waqar Younis, fell out with Afridi and in his report on the tour criticised Afridi, saying "as a captain he is very immature, has poor discipline, lacks a gameplan and is unwilling to listen to others' opinions or advice". After the series, on 19 May, the PCB replaced Afridi as ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq for the two-match ODI series against Ireland later that month. In 34 ODIs as captain, Afridi led his side to 18 wins and 15 defeats. Afridi subsequently withdrew from the touring squad, citing the illness of his father.
Conditional retirement and return (2011–2015)
On 30 May, Afridi announced his conditional retirement from international cricket in protest against his treatment by the
PCB
PCB may refer to:
Science and technology
* Polychlorinated biphenyl, an organic chlorine compound, now recognized as an environmental toxin and classified as a persistent organic pollutant
* Printed circuit board, a board used in electronics
* ...
. The condition on his return was that the board be replaced. The PCB suspended Afridi's central contract, fined him 4.5 million rupees ($52,300), and revoked his no-objection certificate (NOC) which allowed Afridi to play for Hampshire. Afridi filed a petition with the
Sindh High Court
The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...
to overturn the sanctions. On 15 June, Afridi withdrew his petition after an out of court settlement and the PCB reinstated his NOC. When the PCB's central contracts were renewed in August, Afridi's was allowed to lapse. In October he withdrew his retirement as Ijaz Butt had been replaced as chairman of the PCB.
Two weeks after his announcement, Afridi was included in Pakistan's squad to face Sri Lanka in
three ODIs and a T20I. In November 2011, Afridi became the only cricketer to score a half-century and take five wickets on two separate occasions in ODIs. Afridi achieved this feat in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka which helped Pakistan to secure the one-day series. He also became the first person to play 50 T20Is.
In 2013 during the
first ODI game against the West Indies in Guyana, Afridi scored 76(55) before taking figures of 7/12, the
second best ODI bowling figures ever.
In July 2014, he played for the Rest of the World side in the
Bicentenary Celebration match at
Lord's
Lord's Cricket Ground, commonly known as Lord's, is a cricket venue in St John's Wood, London. Named after its founder, Thomas Lord, it is owned by Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) and is the home of Middlesex County Cricket Club, the England and ...
.
Afridi announced his retirement from ODI cricket after
2015 Cricket World Cup
The 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup was the 11th Cricket World Cup, a quadrennial One Day International (ODI) cricket tournament contested by men's national teams and organised by the International Cricket Council (ICC). It was jointly hosted by Aust ...
. Pakistan lost to
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
in the
quarter-final
A single-elimination, knockout, or sudden death tournament is a type of elimination tournament where the loser of each match-up is immediately eliminated from the tournament. Each winner will play another in the next round, until the final matc ...
and got eliminated from the tournament.
2016 ICC World Twenty20
In March 2016, Pakistan was unable to make it to the semi-finals in the
2016 ICC World Twenty20
The 2016 ICC World Twenty20 was the sixth edition of the ICC World Twenty20, the world championship of Twenty20 International cricket. It was held in India from 8 March to 3 April 2016, and was the first edition to be hosted by India.
Seven ...
after losing to New Zealand, India and Australia. Before Australia's match, the PCB hinted at Afridi's retirement. However, he went against their decision after the match and announced that he would make the decision himself after consulting family and other iconic players beforehand and also announce it in Pakistan. He also stated that 'as a player, I am fit. As a captain, I am not fit'. Former Australian player
Ian Chappell
Ian Michael Chappell (born 26 September 1943) is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation. Born ...
praised his honesty in this confession.
Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis Maitla HI ( Punjabi, ur, ; born 16 November 1971) is a Pakistani cricket coach, commentator and former cricketer who captained Pakistan national cricket team. A right-arm fast bowler, Waqar Younis is regarded as one of the grea ...
, the head coach, was initially blamed and he accepted responsibility and offered to retire. However, a six-page report by Younis was later leaked by the PCB to the media where he was shown to be pointing much of the blame onto Afridi. First Younis claimed that Afridi was 'unfair' to new cricketer Mohammad Nawaz by calling him up to bowl in the Asia Cup 2016 because it 'destroyed the youngster's confidence' after he gave 38-runs in 3 overs. Younis went on to accuse Afridi of being 'non-serious' in the game along with saying that he missed training sessions and meetings. He also said that Afridi showed poor performance with the bat, ball and as a captain and was clearly not listened to by other players. Younis expressed great anger on the report being leaked as it led to fans criticising him for shifting the blame onto Afridi instead of accepting equal responsibility. Manager
Intikhab Alam
Intikhab Alam Khan (Urdu:) (born 28 December 1941) is a Pakistani cricket coach and former cricketer who played in 47 Test matches and four One Day Internationals from 1959 to 1977. He captained Pakistan in 17 Tests between 1969 and 1975. He a ...
also called Afridi 'clueless' in the 3 matches but said Younis was unable to ensure that the players were physically fit.
Afridi was asked to appear to the enquiry committee, made up of Misbah-ul-Haq and other iconic players, who would hear his view on the situation. However, it was said he refused to until it was revealed that his daughter was in hospital undergoing surgery at the time. He opted to be interviewed by phone.
Days after the match, Afridi posted a video on Twitter, in which he apologised to all his fans for the team's disappointing performance. He said he didn't care about what others were saying about him and only wanted to answer to his fans and wanted to apologise for letting them and Pakistan down. Despite earlier criticism, many fans supported him. Even during his arrival from Dubai back to Pakistan, a few days after the rest of the team, fans chanted 'Boom Boom Afridi' at the airport amidst high security.
In April 2016, he finally announced he was stepping down as T20I captain, but was not retiring. He said he wanted to "continue to play the game for my country".
Sarfraz Ahmed
Sarfaraz Ahmed ( ur, ; born 22 May 1987) is a Pakistani professional cricketer, a wicketkeeper-batsman, who plays for the Pakistani national cricket team. He was the former captain of the Pakistan side in all formats. He leads Quetta Gladiato ...
was appointed as Pakistan's T20I captain following Afridi's resignation.
Retirement
In September 2016, the PCB announced that they wanted Afridi to retire. Afridi said it was unfair for them to announce their plans in the media, but then said that he wanted a farewell match, which didn't happen as a result of him cancelling a meeting regarding the issue with the PCB. In February 2017, he announced his retirement from T20Is and international cricket. In April 2018, Afridi briefly returned to international cricket after he was named in the
Rest of the World XI squad for the
Hurricane Relief T20 Challenge
The Hurricane Relief T20 Challenge was a Twenty20 International (T20I) cricket match that took place in England on 31 May 2018. The West Indies cricket team played against a World XI team, to raise funds for stadiums damaged by Hurricane Irma an ...
. He went on to captain the side, after
Eoin Morgan
Eoin (, or ) is an Irish name. The Scottish Gaelic equivalent is () and both are closely related to the Welsh . It is also cognate with the Irish . In the Irish language, it is the name used for all Biblical figures known as ''John'' in Engli ...
had to withdraw due to injury.
After the match, Afridi stated that he would not be making a comeback to international cricket for Pakistan.
Post-retirement
Afridi was named the interim chief selector of the Pakistani cricket team by the newly appointed PCB Chairman,
Najam Sethi
Najam Aziz Sethi (Urdu, pa, ; born 20 May 1948) is a Pakistani journalist, businessman and cricket administrator, currently serving as the chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). He also is the founder of ''The Friday Times'' and ''Vangua ...
. His term is set to last for 120 days with Afridi's main task as chief selector being the
New Zealand series.
Playing style
Batting
His general style of batting was very aggressive and attack oriented. Due to this reason, Indian cricketer
Ravi Shastri
Ravishankar Jayadritha Shastri (born 27 May 1962) is the former head coach of the India national cricket team, a cricket commentator and former captain of Indian Cricket Team. As a player, he played for the India national cricket team between 19 ...
gave him the nickname "Boom Boom". Moreover, out of the seven
fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them. Throughout his career, he had an
ODI strike rate of 117 runs per 100 balls, the third highest in the game's history. This attitude was transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.97.
He was known for hitting long sixes. He holds the record for having hit the most sixes in the history of ODI cricket. However, his aggressive style increased his risk of getting out and he was regarded as an inconsistent batsmen. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 8,000 ODI runs at an average under 30 (23.57 to be exact).
Afridi has moved about the batting order, and this lack of consistency has made it difficult for him to settle. In the
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
, where the ball quickly loses its shine, he preferred to open the batting; however, elsewhere he would come to bat at number six or seven.
On 22 August 2017, in his 256th Twenty20 match,
Afridi hit his first century in the format, scoring 101 for
Hampshire
Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...
in the
2017 NatWest t20 Blast against
Derbyshire
Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...
and setting the highest T20 score by a batsman at the County Ground, Derby in the process.
Bowling
Having started as a fast bowler, Afridi decided to start bowling spin after he was told he was throwing. He modelled himself on Pakistan leg-spinner
Abdul Qadir
Abd al-Qadir or Abdulkadir ( ar, عبد القادر) is a male Muslim given name. It is formed from the Arabic words '' Abd'', ''al-'' and '' Qadir''. The name means "servant of the powerful", ''Al-Qādir'' being one of the names of God in the ...
.
Afridi began his career as primarily a bowler, but after scoring the fastest century in his maiden ODI innings more was expected of him with the bat. In 2011, he said, "I consider myself a bowler first".
He took 541 International
wicket
In cricket, the term wicket has several meanings:
* It is one of the two sets of three stumps and two bails at either end of the pitch. The fielding team's players can hit the wicket with the ball in a number of ways to get a batsman out. ...
s in his career, most of which were from the ODI format. While his stock ball is the
leg break
Leg spin is a type of spin bowling in cricket. A leg spinner bowls right-arm with a wrist spin action. The leg spinner's normal delivery causes the ball to spin from right to left (from the bowler's perspective) when the ball bounces on the ...
, his armoury also includes
the googly and a "quicker one" which he can deliver in the style of a medium-pacer, reaching speeds of around .
On 23 August 2018, after a match winning all-round performance in the
Caribbean Premier League
The Caribbean Premier League (abbreviated to CPL or CPLT20) is an annual Twenty20 cricket tournament held in the Caribbean. It was founded by Cricket West Indies in 2013 to replace the Caribbean Twenty20 as the premier Twenty20 competition in ...
for
Barbados Tridents
The Barbados Royals (previously known as the Barbados Tridents) are the representative franchise cricket team of Barbados in the Caribbean Premier League. They are one of the six teams specifically created in 2013 for the inaugural season of t ...
, Australian cricketer
Steve Smith Stephen, Steve, Stevie, or Steven Smith may refer to:
Academics
* Steve Smith (political scientist) (born 1952), British international relations theorist and senior university manager
* Stephen Smith (journalist) (born 1956), American journalist, ...
said that he tried to model the bowling action of Afridi. He praised Afridi, calling him "a terrific leg-spinner".
Philanthropy
In March 2014, Shahid Afridi established the
Shahid Afridi Foundation
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi ( ur, شاہد افریدی, ps, شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977), known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani former cricketer and captain of the Pakistan national cricket team. He is curren ...
which aims to provide healthcare and education facilities in Pakistan. He was named among the world's most charitable athletes by
Do Something
DoSomething (also DoSomething.org) is a global nonprofit organization with the goal of motivating young people to make positive change both online and offline through campaigns. The organization's CEO is DeNora Getachew.
History
The organizatio ...
in August 2015.
UNICEF
UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing Humanitarianism, humanitarian and Devel ...
and many Pakistani authorities have taken Shahid Afridi on board for the anti-polio campaign in the tribal belt of Waziristan region.
Awards
On 23 March 2010, Afridi was awarded the
Pride of Performance
The Pride of Performance ( ur, ), officially known as Presidential Pride of Performance, is an award bestowed by the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to recognize people with "notable achievements in the field of art, science, literature, sports, an ...
by President of Pakistan
Asif Ali Zardari
Asif Ali Zardari ( ur, ; sd, ; born 26 July 1955) is a Pakistani politician who is the president of Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians and was the co-chairperson of Pakistan People's Party. He served as the 11th president of Pakistan ...
.
On 23 March 2018, he was awarded the
Sitara-i-Imtiaz
The Sitara-e-Imtiaz () also spelled as Sitara-i-Imtiaz, is the third-highest (in the order of "Imtiaz") honour and civilian award in the State of Pakistan. It recognizes individuals who have made an "especially meritorious contribution to the ...
by President of Pakistan
Mamnoon Hussain
Mamnoon Hussain ( ur, ; 22 December 1941 – 14 July 2021) was a Pakistani politician and industrialist who served as the 12th president of Pakistan from 2013 to 2018. He was first appointed Governor of Sindh in June 1999 by President Rafiq ...
.
Bibliography
Controversies
In July 2016, Afridi said in an interview with
BBC Urdu
BBC Urdu ( ur, ) is the Urdu language station of the BBC World Service, accompanied by its website, which serves as a news portal and provides online access to radio broadcasts. The radio service is broadcast from Broadcasting House in London an ...
that there is no talent in Pakistan. This resulted in huge opposition against Afridi, while PCB issued a notice against him. Later, Afridi tried to clarify his statement by explaining that there is no competition among players in the present.
On 6 September 2018, in a
Defence Day
Defence Day ( ur, ALA-LC: ) is celebrated in Pakistan as national day to commemorate the sacrifices made by Pakistani soldiers in defending its borders.Taha SiddiquiDear Pakistanis, this Defence Day, please stop celebrating hate Al Jazeera ...
event at
Rawalpindi
Rawalpindi ( or ; Urdu, ) is a city in the Punjab province of Pakistan. It is the fourth largest city in Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore and Faisalabad, and third largest in Punjab after Lahore and Faisalabad. Rawalpindi is next to Pakistan's ...
, Afridi was reportedly caught on the camera chewing tobacco. He was highly criticised by the media for this. However, Afridi denied these claims and clarified that he had been eating fennel seeds and clove.
On 30 April 2019, Shahid Afridi was sued by Master Beverages for violating agreement. As per Master Beverages and Foods Limited, Shahid Afridi had signed a contract with Master Beverages as their brand ambassador, but also secretly signed an agreement to become a brand ambassador of another rival company. According to the agreement, Afridi couldn't sign for any other company. Master Beverages instituted a lawsuit against Afridi in
Sindh High Court
The High Court of Sindh ( ur, ) is the highest judicial institution of the Pakistani province of Sindh. Established in 1906, the Court situated in the provincial capital at Karachi. Apart from being the highest Court of Appeal for Sindh in ...
for damages amounting to Rs 60,000,000 and recovery of a car which Afridi received as part of the agreement.
In May 2019, Afridi stated that being a "conservative" and religious father, he had banned his daughters from playing outdoor sports. He said "feminists can say what they want... I’ve made my decision," in response to the criticism.
Confusion about age
Shahid Afridi, who made his debut at 16 as per the records, had mentioned that he is 1975 born in his autobiography 'Game Changer'. "Also, for the record, I was just nineteen, and not sixteen like they claim. I was born in 1975. So, yes, the authorities stated my age incorrectly", he wrote in his book. Although that created confusion as if he was born in 1975, it would have meant that he was 21 at the time of debut and not 19 as he wrote.
But Afridi later clarified that his autobiography's first edition carried the wrong year.
Notes
References
External links
Shahid Afridi Foundation*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Afridi, Shahid
1977 births
Living people
Cricketers from Karachi
People from Khyber District
Recipients of the Pride of Performance
ACC Asian XI One Day International cricketers
ICC World XI One Day International cricketers
Pakistan One Day International cricketers
Pakistan Test cricketers
Pakistan Twenty20 International cricketers
Griqualand West cricketers
Habib Bank Limited cricketers
Karachi cricketers
Leicestershire cricketers
Derbyshire cricketers
South Australia cricketers
Hampshire cricketers
Cricketers at the 1999 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2003 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2007 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Cricketers at the 2015 Cricket World Cup
Pashtun people
Pakistani Sunni Muslims
Pakistan Test cricket captains
Pakistani cricket captains
Paktia Panthers cricketers
Cricketers who have taken five wickets on Test debut
Melbourne Renegades cricketers
Dhaka Dynamites cricketers
Pakistani cricketers
Karachi Whites cricketers
Karachi Blues cricketers
Karachi Dolphins cricketers
Kent cricketers
Sindh cricketers
Marylebone Cricket Club cricketers
Ruhuna Royals cricketers
Deccan Chargers cricketers
Sylhet Super Stars cricketers
Galle Gladiators cricketers
Pakistani philanthropists
Peshawar Zalmi cricketers
Karachi Kings cricketers
Multan Sultans cricketers
Quetta Gladiators cricketers
St Kitts and Nevis Patriots cricketers
Recipients of Sitara-i-Imtiaz
Shahid
''Shaheed'' ( , , ; pa, ਸ਼ਹੀਦ) denotes a martyr in Islam. The word is used frequently in the Quran in the generic sense of "witness" but only once in the sense of "martyr" (i.e. one who dies for his faith); ...
World XI Twenty20 International cricketers