Shahid Afridi is a hard one to figure out. I have always been a big fan of his, and really feel that there is no cricketer more dangerous, and more talented than Shahid Afridi when he is focused and his heart is in the game. I have often advocated for him to be in the squad ahead of Abdul Razzaq, but this is perhaps a place where I might have to eat a little more than a little crow.
Over the last 20 ODIs for Shahid Afridi, he has only averaged 10.76 with the bat, with no score higher than 34. His bowling has been ok, with an average of 33.10. These numbers cannot belong to someone who aims to bat at number 6 in modern ODI cricket. On the other hand, Abdul Razzaq has averaged 36.54 over the period with 2 50s, and his bowling has also been reasonable with 21 wickets at 35 per. I can completely understand at this stage, why Shahid has been dropped from the test side for the WI tour, as it is clear that he has been persisted with, despite a string of very poor performances. Yet, he is too major a talent, too powerful a force to be ignored for too long; he is no Azhar Mehmood to be discarded and never thought of again.
Over the last 20 ODIs for Shahid Afridi, he has only averaged 10.76 with the bat, with no score higher than 34. His bowling has been ok, with an average of 33.10. These numbers cannot belong to someone who aims to bat at number 6 in modern ODI cricket. On the other hand, Abdul Razzaq has averaged 36.54 over the period with 2 50s, and his bowling has also been reasonable with 21 wickets at 35 per. I can completely understand at this stage, why Shahid has been dropped from the test side for the WI tour, as it is clear that he has been persisted with, despite a string of very poor performances. Yet, he is too major a talent, too powerful a force to be ignored for too long; he is no Azhar Mehmood to be discarded and never thought of again.
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