Why Shahid Afridi has Retired from Tests
Cricinfo’s Osman Samiuddin reports:
Shahid Afridi has announced his `retirement’ from Test cricket. In an announcement that caught most people in Pakistan by complete surprise, Afridi told a local TV channel that he was planning to concentrate only on ODI cricket to ready himself for the World Cup in 2007.
This has the cricket fans perplexed. Shahid Afridi is just 26 years old. He has been superb for Pakistan in both one dayers and tests of late. A case in point - in his last 10 tests, Shahid Afridi has scored 854 runs at an average of 47.44 with 3 hundreds. He has also taken 23 wickets at an average of 33.60. This, after being left in the wilderness for long from the Pakistan national cricket team. You would imagine that Afridi would want to play as much international cricket as he possibly could.
So every one is describing the decision of Shahid Afridi to retire as crazy, shocking, bewildering and every thing in between. I see it slightly differently. Confirmed tests Pakistan play between now and the World Cup are 4 in England and at least 3 in South Africa apart from the home tests versus the West Indies. England and South Africa have pitches which are in sharp contrast to the pitches the sub-continent has. Afridi is absolutely king on flat wickets where the ball is not moving, bouncing and playing cross batted shots is not as easy. But would only this make Afridi sit out?
You have to consider the second important aspect. To defeat England in England, or at least compete, you need solid specialist cricketers. Would an Afridi be preferred over a solid batsman in England? In most likelihood ‘no’. Would the playing XI be stronger by chosing a specialist or an Afridi (whose batting or spin wouldn’t be as effective in England or South Africa)? If there was any one except a Woolmer at the helm, I would be less certain regarding Afridi not playing in England given his recent track record. However, Woolmer is a superb strategist. Woolmer is the real reason Afridi and Akhtar were used so well by Pakistan in the recent past. Woolmer is a key reason why Pakistan is doing so well of late. But that’s another story.
Now Woolmer was instrumental in bringing Afridi back to the Pakistan side. So I would be surprised if Afridi didn’t consult Woolmer before announcing his decision. Even if he didn’t, Afridi had one of two paths to chose from here:
- Play in the test team and risk being in and out of the side and lose the place by the end of the South African tour - a very real possibility.
- The path Afridi chose to go with.
Another aspect to consider - in the crazy world of Pakistan cricket, no one is certain of any spot. So a Rameez Raja, a Javed Miandad or any one else can come and go from top level management. A Woolmer (who used Afridi very well in the Pakistan side) may not be there after World Cup 2007. He is contracted till 2007 as things stand.
By announcing his retirement now, Afridi almost certainly ensures himself a return to test cricket as soon as he announces that he is reversing his decision to retire after the 2007 World Cup. Heck, if Michael Jordan can do it, what is Afridi! Loads of people have retired before and made comebacks.
The World Cup will be played in the West Indies - tracks which are usually flat. To support a successful World Cup (sadly runs is supposed to be excitment in cricket nowadays) flat wickets are a given. So Afridi has a good chance of having a decent World Cup 2007 individually.
Afridi is just 26. I will be much more surprised if he doesn’t play another test match in his life than any one who is surprised at him announcing his retirement from tests right now.
Tags: Cricket World Cup 2007, Pakistan Cricket, Retirement, Shahid Afridi.
April 12th, 2006 at 11:42 pm
Interesting take. Sounds logical enough. But it is difficult to associate the Afridi persona to this sort of cold, manipulative decision. I mean, there’s this feeling that if he could do this then he could perhaps change his betting the first time he got dropped….
April 12th, 2006 at 11:53 pm
Ang is spot on, a man who had a sudden brain explosion that propelled him to moon dance on the pitch with his spiked boots can’t possibly think out a retirement-then-comeback plan of this sort, he simply isn’t that kind of person.
My take is that in all likelihood he’s just had another massive brain explosion. Hopefully some one will fix his mind before the England tour and he’ll change his decesion because as far as I’m concerned Afridi would have been a handful in the test side even in England, especially his bowling. He would have definitely been a part of my test plans.
April 13th, 2006 at 2:50 pm
afridi indeed will be handful for Pakistan in england especially with his bowling and could be lethal with the bat as well on his day.He was nicely getting fit into all rounder role but suddenly thought of retiring.hope someone will help in correcting his decision.
April 13th, 2006 at 5:10 pm
The previous captain of Pakistan cricket team, Imran Khan, had also taken retirement more than once. So I do think Afridi will come back after pulling some sort of stunt.
April 14th, 2006 at 3:15 am
Ang and Zainub: Even if we consider Afridi to be rash and instinctive in decision making (I do not support this logic but any way if we take it into supposition), I still wouldn’t believe him to take such a decision just spur of the moment. There have been rasher cricketers in cricketing history. How many have retired at 26 when still fit enough to play?
Zainub and Nagraj: On Afridi being useful in England - I differ regarding this perspective when we compare with a specialist Pakistan might play in place of Afridi.
Satya: Yeah it would be really amazing if he never played a test again for me too.
April 14th, 2006 at 1:35 pm
afridi should take back his decision. I think he is mad b/c he is just 26 years old.
April 15th, 2006 at 9:56 pm
Hm! Ahem! It’s perhaps quite in character with Afridi to do the unexpected and do quite the opposite of what others would rather will or have him do! That’s his Cricket, isn’t it? Has any one ever observed in Afridi to follow the run-of-the-mill variety? That will never go with the grain of his character and temperament!
The analytical aspproach spelled out by Osman Samiuddin regarding Afridi’s home work on planning out his career in Cricket, vis-a-vis the Woolmer era and the post-Woolmer era, in my opinion, is wishful thinking. But, well, any thing is possible with Afridi, like his chameleon-like acts on the Cricket field, I wonder!
But, surely, we shall all sorely miss him and his electric and mercurial performances in the Test arena. The Afridis of the world add variety, colour and a different dimension in an otherwise somber and technique-based clinical game. And, indeed, Cricket is so much the more exciting for people like Shahid Afridi.
Won’t we love to see “Boom-boom Afridi” back with bang? Let’s wait with bated breath for that magic moment.
Nizam M. Selim
Match 15 2006
Chittagong, Bangladesh
May 1st, 2006 at 10:57 pm
Hey ma, Afridis bak to ruin the english bowlers careers!
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July 21st, 2007 at 9:59 am
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August 4th, 2007 at 2:32 pm
I have to say, that I could not agree with you in 100% regarding Why Shahid Afridi has Retired from Tests, but it’s just my opinion, which could be wrong :)
September 18th, 2007 at 6:21 am
Shahid Afridi has been mismanaged by Pakistan. He is not retired anymore, hes going to be the best all rounder in the world within a few months. http://boomboomshahidafridi.blogspot.com/