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Chris Gayle vs Shahid Afridi : Who is the better cricketer and entertainer?

Titan of Technique

Titan of Technique

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Ok folks.Two very controversial yet charismatic figures who have given us so much to cherish in the last 2 decades.Some might say that they are more entertainers than cricketers but come on how boring would cricket be without these cricketers.

Some experts believe that they are hugely overrated.Others feel they have not done justice to their talent.While a certain section questions their commitment to the game.

All said and done, they are your modern day cricket superstars and you can't change that.So who do you believe gave more to the game and who in your opinion is the bigger entertainer ?
 
As a player Chris Gayle leads by quite some margin, as a matter of fact his T-20 exploits have led to him being pretty underrated in the longer formats. He is a 100+ test veteran who has a pretty respectable average as an opener, 2 triple centuries and averages in the vicinity of 50 in South Africa and Australia, two of the strongest attacks in cricket. Even while comparing intangibles Gayle has always seemed to have a much better temperament as a cricketer. Afridi, despite having some great memorable performances single-handedly turning quite a few matches in Pakistan's favour, never quite established himself on the consistency front. With Afridi, it almost felt like Pakistan were playing with either 10 or 12 players, more the former.

As for entertainment, it's a purely subjective criteria. I personally like Gayle's nonchalant hitting and demeanour while batting. At his peak, Afridi's bowling was also pretty good to see.
 
As a package Afridi is better cricketer than Gayle as of now. Gayle will be a complete liability if he didn't click with the bat. Afridi has bowling and fielding to fall even if he failed in batting.

on entertainment part afridi was consistent while gayle was occasional these days
 
Better cricketer - Gayle
Better entertainer - Afridi
 
Has to be Gayle. Probably because he's done so well in IPL but internationally as well in T20's he's provided us some great entertainment with bat.
 
Chris Gayle is a better cricketer by a country mile! Not even a contest.

He averages nearly 15 runs more than Afridi per innings, and obviously has played many, many smashing ODI innings and his bowling average and strike rate are pretty similar to Afridi's.

Better entertainer is entirely subjective. Doubt many West Indian fans would say that Afridi was a better entertainer and vice versa. Although Afridi has frustrated me much more than he has entertained me in his career. Pakistan's T20 world cup aside.
 
Gayle. I don't know how anyone can find Afridi's ugly leg side slogs entertaining.

And also Gayle bats with his eyes open.
 
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Buffet said:
Better cricketer - Gayle
Better entertainer - Afridi
Click to expand...

+1... Lets not forget Gayle has excelled in longer format. He has a couple of triple hundreds.

Gayle is better than Afridi in all three formats.
 
The comparison is an insult to Chris Gayle. And what entertainment? If swinging your bat blindly in every direction is entertainment then no one can touch Afridi.
 
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Gayle is the better player but as an entertainer it's a difficult one both have entertained over the years. As a Pakistan fan when afridi is full with the bat it's brilliant to watch. I'll say there equal in terms of entertainment
 
Omg is this even a serious thread! One person has two triple centuries and played over 100 tests as well as taking important number of wickets and would walk into any LOI team around the world and the other considers it a success just to survive an over and bowl with an economy of under 6 for 1 wicket. Only in a country like Pakistan with an uncritical media and immature audience can somebody like afridi be considered a star.
 
In Tests and ODIs, Gayle is the better cricketer, while in T20Is, Afridi is better.

When it comes to entertaining, Afridi is better, for me.
 
Questions such as this are relevant to time.

There was a time when Afridi was a better all-round player and almost the only really mad max going around in the circuit. He used to have a 100+ ODI strike rate on his own and was almost consistently in a league of his own.

The thing is - like that adolescent girl who hits puberty first and grows to be the tallest in her class and feels superior to other beings; only to see others slowly out grow her in her height while she remains at that same height - Afridi never took the next step.

From being an occasional six-hitter averaging low 20's, he never was really able to take his average up into the low 30's and become a more poignant backbone of the team when he was needed. The same goes for his bowling - while it remains to this day somewhat his redeeming factor, it has never stood out. In short, Afridi never became the shining attraction of a party that he entered by blowing down the gate.

Meanwhile - Chris Gayle started slowly to ultimately become one of the prized asset of his time.

Afridi has entertained us, that can't be denied but there is always that little asterik around his name that depicts what he could have truly been. A missed opportunity - the Afridi story.

Gayle as of now is a bigger player and a better entertainer. Doubt me - check the BBL, PSL, IPL, BPL, Friends Life, and Ram Slam rosters where he is almost the first name on team rosters, even after him making blunders after blunders outside the field of cricket.
 
I think Gayle would have averaged 45-48ish as an opener if the WICB hadn't banned him for a few years. He was getting better as a test batsman, then got kicked off the team, then molded himself into, arguably, the first T20 superstar.
 
It's hilarious to see Afridi bat in most games. I will call it entertainment.
 
One is a a veteran of 100+ tests and has almost 40 international centuries to his name whilst the other ran away from test cricket when the going got tough. For me Gayle is the better cricketer and by some margin.
 
Lol gayle gives you more entertaining matches + he scores big.. Afridi on the other hand can entertain you with a quick fire 20/30 in 1 out of 10 matches but that's about it.. He was good in 90s though that's where he got all his fans by being so flamboyant in batting at a time when people used to score at 70-80 SR he used to score at 100+.. Just wasn't consistent and then regressed
 
Afridi was a clown masquerading as a cricketer for 20 years with a 2 year purple patch, and a century that haunted Pakistan for 20 years.

Gayle is a quality batsmen who could devastate you on a consistent basis, not the 1/30 matches of Adridi people idolize.

It's Gayle and not even close. If you want to watch an entertainer of Afridi's caliber, one may need to head to a local zoo.
 
For Pakistanis may be Afridi ( note 'maybe')

But for everyone else its the Man who dances with Afghan team even after losing to them.
 
Gayle is so much better than Afridi both in quality and entertainment. Lol at the comparison.
 
I never really found Afridi's wild slogging with eyes closed entertaining. Abdul Razzaq was a better entertainer(and player) in that sense.
 
Gayle has delivered much more consistently as a player than the Duckmaster Extraordinaire. At least he'll spend longer at the crease to entertain whereas with Afridi you know if one of those blind slogs haven't come off within the first six balls he'll be back in the Pavillion.
 
If I was to compare the two at their peak then it has to be Afridi considering his bowling and fielding is miles better than Gayle's. Gayle is the best batsman in the history of T20 but Afridi offers more as a player for a T20 team, whereas Gayle is way more consistent with the bat. If both players were opening together and are in red hot form then they're both equal in terms of batting (given they do not make silly mistakes which Afridi always does). They'll literally pummel sixes consistently with minimal effort with ridiculously high strike rates.
 
afridi a is a better entertainer atleast for pak fans.gayle was a slightly better cricketer though.
 
Entertainment is subjective.

As a cricketer, Gayle mops the floor and the roof with Afridi.
 
It has come to the point where I wish Afridi never even made his debut.

A hack who had no sense of accountability or maturity whatsoever when playing. Never refined his batting or his temperament. Completely useless in most situations.

As [MENTION=107807]Pete Rose[/MENTION] pointed out - he defined 'fearless' batting as close your eyes mad slogging and praying for miracle. Never saw such a mediocre cricketer in my life.

Was only good for advertisements along with captaincy politics in the last few years

Not to mention he inspired a generation of tullay baaz wanna be hacks. Only in a country like pakistan would someone like Afridi survive for more than 2 decades... :facepalm:

Afridi, Misbah and Waqar regressed Pakistan cricket to a bottomless abyss.
 
Hard to say

on the field Afridi can deliver with the ball too
And Gayle with the dance moves
 
Gayle is at least a proper batsman who scored 2 triple centuries in tests. He is a very useful part-time bowler too.

On the other hand, Afridi was neither a batsman nor a bowler for the majority of his career.

Afridi can only dream of scoring a double century in ODIs and a century in T20s. Even from entertainment perspective, Gayle is much better than Afridi.
 
Gayle v Afridi.

Who would you have in the side between Gayle and Afridi? Both are equally stupid in the sense that they hit it straight down the fielders throat like Gayle has just done yet are match winners on their day. I am talking of just batting ability here, I know Afridi could bowl as well. If I was captain would rather have Gayle in my side.
 
Gayle is 20 times the cricketer Afridi ever was. Shouldn't be even up for a debate.
 
PakLFC said:
No! It's a close call when it comes to power hitting. I prefer Gayle as well though.
Click to expand...
It's a close call perhaps only in t20s where both are absolute legends and Gayle arguably the greatest ever. In other two main formats Gayle is so ahead that it is not even a comparison to be honest.
 
If Gayle was born in Aus or Eng he would have probably surpassed Lara in both fame and achievements. Too good a player to be known for his t20 exploits only.
 
PakLFC said:
Who would you have in the side between Gayle and Afridi? Both are equally stupid in the sense that they hit it straight down the fielders throat like Gayle has just done yet are match winners on their day. I am talking of just batting ability here, I know Afridi could bowl as well. If I was captain would rather have Gayle in my side.
Click to expand...

Afridi wasn't even in the same league as a batsman, I would think the stats would show that. Only his bowling and fielding would make him a valuable asset in his day.
 
Just add a fact in the conversation Afridi is the 2nd highest wicket taker in ODI history after Muralitharan amongst spinners.

In my opinion both were entertainers and match winners on their day and that is why they both played cricket for close to two decades and all around the globe in leagues.

I also think both were mishandled and misused to an extent.
 
Titan24 said:
Just add a fact in the conversation Afridi is the 2nd highest wicket taker in ODI history after Muralitharan amongst spinners.

In my opinion both were entertainers and match winners on their day and that is why they both played cricket for close to two decades and all around the globe in leagues.

I also think both were mishandled and misused to an extent.
Click to expand...

To add on, Afridi was always a bowling all rounder, even though he averages 35 in tests with bat comparison with Gayle in batting is not on.
 
Hyperion66 said:
It's a close call perhaps only in t20s where both are absolute legends and Gayle arguably the greatest ever. In other two main formats Gayle is so ahead that it is not even a comparison to be honest.
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Not at all. Lala was often a classy one day batsmen and better runner between the wickets. Gayle these days doesn't even make an effort to run between the wickets just trying to hit it out the park every delivery. You can't be serious saying Gayle is the best ever in 50 overs competition.
 
Afridi is light years away, the vast number of brainless batting failures with crap pot shots gave me great joy and entertainment:))
 
Better T20 Cricketer: Chris Gayle

Better T20I cricketer: Shahid Afridi

Better Test Cricketer: Chris Gayle

Better ODI cricketer: Chris Gayle

Better entertainer: Shahid Afridi.
 
Afridi is the better entertainer.

Gayle the better cricketer.
 
Most of the people here are just remembering Afridi’s batting and comparing it to Gayle. Afridi Had close to 400 wickets as well in ODIs.
 
Snatch said:
Are you only talking ODI cricket? The thread stated best "cricketer" & entertainer.
Click to expand...

So, Afridi played less numbers of tests but it doesn't mean that he wasn't capable, the reasons are is he wasn't interested & PCT heave better substitutes.
 
it has to be afridi as an entertainer and as a better all round cricketer including fielding bowling afridi is much the better play always ahead in the entertainment side too I'm sorry but Chris Gayle against the sides who had quality spin bowlers was walking wicket pakistan nailed him many times that's how easy he was afridi on the other side was never consistent with the bat but u cant say any bowler really troubled him as when he got going he destroyed any type of bowler
 
Tbh if Lala didn’t suffer from ADHD he could’ve become the batsman that changed batting forever. He just never focused enough. Gayle is by far a better batsman as his record proves. Afridi played some great innings and won us many games but his inconsistency became too much to bear. My fave innings of Afridi the batsman was actually one in a losing cause against Sri Lanka in the Asia cup when he was captain. 109 or something while chasing and he came in to bat with 4 or 5 down and very few runs. Smoked sixes like no other off Malinga and everyone else..but the target turned out to be too big and due to the hot and humid conditions he was cramping up. I think sanga was captain and he said this was the best he’d seen Lala play ever.
 
Gayle is the better cricketer and entertainer.

I loved Shahid Afridi but he was lucky he played for Pakistan for as long as he did.
 
Gayle, hands down. It's not even a comparison. Gayle's fan following vids across countries and her is one of the most liked and loved Carribean cricketer in Asia.
 
Shahid afridi was surely a better entertainer than gayle.
I haven't seen gayle winning matches from dire situation like afrid did.
Afridi played some real heroic innings and that's what separates him from gayle.
 
The only couple of things to be admired about Afridi during his career was his brilliant fielding and his amazing fitness level.
 
Afridi never took his bowling seriously enough. Otherwise, he was an excellent leg spinner. He was fit and a reasonable fielder his batting was nothing but mindless slogging that hurt Pakistan cricket for many years.
 
Gayle has a double ton in World Cup, I have a feeling he will fire another double ton. After the Jason Roy knock and how Plunkett thrashed is, I am in a coma :asif
 
Outrageous comparison. Afridi isn’t just a cricket legend but is an emotion.
 
dhump said:
Afridi never took his bowling seriously enough. Otherwise, he was an excellent leg spinner. He was fit and a reasonable fielder his batting was nothing but mindless slogging that hurt Pakistan cricket for many years.
Click to expand...

I think he did in the latter part of his career. Post 2011 -
 
Afridi was the biggest hack. 2 years of purple patch here and there and 18 years of mediocrity. Gayle is a much better entertainer and cricketer. Young cricketers should dream to be like Gayle not like Afridi. That said, Afridi indeed played some entertaining innings and took wickets but no young cricketers should dream to be like Afridi. 😀

I think idolising afridiesque player has led to downfall in Pakistani batting culture
 
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