"I could have been a better player but I did not reach that level" : Shahid Afridi

[Abdullah719]

Shahid Afridi speaking on TV:

"Once I was told that there is a lady sitting in a car who wishes to meet you; I went there and saw she was dressed up and said, lets go and get married; I said sorry am too young to get married and told her to go"

"No one is born a superstar, they are made one by the people"

"When people are taking pictures of you and following you around, you start thinking that there must be something in me which makes me special"

"Not everyone can be a Sachin or Lara; its all upto the Almighty"

"I have not been as consistent in batting as I have been in bowling"

"I started my career as a bowler and then improved as batsman"

"I could have been a better player but I did not reach that level"

"At a young age what I had started to think was that cricket was just about 4s and 6s"

"I had dreamt about my world record the night before and The Almighty made it a reality"

"Anyone can indulge in match/spot fixing but I believe that earning money in a 'halal' way may give you lesser money but it will give you a lot of inner peace"

"Long time ago myself and Wasim bhai were offered acting roles but I have no such interest nor am I inclined to it"

"I have seen big names crying in dressing rooms and the same happened to me"

"Same happened to me, I once burnt my equipment and vowed not to play cricket again because I was under so much pressure"

"When I was young my friends used to tell me when I was making mistakes but I didn't listen to them, I thought I was always right - now when I correct other people I give my own example so that they don't make the same mistake I did"

"If you look at Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Shoaib Akhtar, no one can emulate them. These players are such icons that even people who don't want to become cricketers become inclined to the game due to them"

"It's not as though there is no talent, there are better players than us on the sidelines but they need facilities and opportunities"

 

[another drop catch]

come back lala this pakistan team is incomplete without you

 

[shaz619]

Pretty decent interview to be fair, enjoyed it. A very mellow Shahid Afridi.

 

[Sherlock]

Easier to say it after the fact, tbh.

Shame he didn't realise this in the latter part of his career when he was batting for his country.

 

[Slog]

Easier to say it after the fact, tbh.

Shame he didn't realise this in the latter part of his career when he was batting for his country.

tbh I saw an interview as far back as in 2007 where he said he hasnt fulfilled his talent

I personally think composure and temperament is also part of 'talent'

 

[Slog]

have to say its sometimes weird to see Pakistan limited overs cricket team and not find Afridi in it

Started watching in 1997-98 and became serious after 2004 or so and Afridi has always been part of it

 

[mmkextreme_1]

He definitely underachieved throughout his career.

Guy had immense batting talent, but sadly just let it go to waste.

Overall a good interview by him.

 

[Sherlock]

tbh I saw an interview as far back as in 2007 where he said he hasnt fulfilled his talent

I personally think composure and temperament is also part of 'talent'

Yet he continued doing the obvious time-after-time. If it isn't an ego issue, it's a temperament problem. I think he tries to appease his supporters too often, and loses his composure at crucial stages.

 

[Stallion__]

"I had dreamt about my world record the night before and The Almighty made it a reality"

Wonder how so many of our cricketers' dreams come true. Particularly the ones at the night before a match in which they perform best.

 

[msb314]

tbh I saw an interview as far back as in 2007 where he said he hasnt fulfilled his talent

I personally think composure and temperament is also part of 'talent'

So what did he do about it for the next 9 years when he came to realize that he is letting his career slip away by not fulfilling his potential?

The answer is NOTHING!

 

[Slog]

Yet he continued doing the obvious time-after-time. If it isn't an ego issue, it's a temperament problem. I think he tries to appease his supporters too often, and loses his composure at crucial stages.

So what did he do about it for the next 9 years when he came to realize that he is letting his career slip away by not fulfilling his potential?

The answer is NOTHING!

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

 

[Sherlock]

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

My point being it clearly didn't matter if he realised then, or he says the exact same now. The clear indication is he was a very naive, and temperamentally weak batsman.

 

[Bilal7]

Still had a great career.

- WT20 winner and MOTM in the finals.
- Highest wicket-taker of the 2011 WC.
- Thousands of runs and hundreds of wickets across formats.
- Made a world record that stood for years.
- Became an icon and superstar around the world.
- Made millions through his star power and entertainment value.
- Captained Pakistan in all three formats.

A great player overall but yes, he could have done better.

 

[shaz619]

Still had a great career.

- WT20 winner and MOTM in the finals.
- Highest wicket-taker of the 2011 WC.
- Thousands of runs and hundreds of wickets across formats.
- Made a world record that stood for years.
- Became an icon and superstar around the world.
- Made millions through his star power and entertainment value.
- Captained Pakistan in all three formats.

A great player overall but yes, he could have done better.

Yeah, that W2T0 win especially was special because it was our first ICC trophy since the 92 WC win; I still remember the ecstacy among Pakistan fans and it feels as if it were yesterday, boom boom taking the catch running back from inside the circle to near the boundary vs NZ and then playing those game changing knocks vs SA which I witnessed live in Trent Bridge myself and then another 50 in the final before doing the star man pose as Malik embraced him. Great memories, he could have done better but was decent in the limited forms and especially T20's. The main negative is his style of play which inspired a generation not exactly for the better, but it also made him millions.

 

[MMHS]

Indeed Lala - potential was there to end up as first and probably only player in history with 15K+ runs, 1000+ wickets & 250+ catches in combined International (Test, ODI & T20) Career; because apart from spinner, hardly anyone can play for 20+ years & hardly any player can be regular starter in 3 formats for best part of 2 decades.

 

[Haz95]

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

Not true. Check Afridi's innings in Chennai, or various Afridi 50s, I remember a partnership with Haris Sohail against NZ in which Pakistan were sub 100 with 5 down; in that game Afridi played accordingly and helped chase the target.

Junior doesn't have a single innings showcasing any form of defense and it's a bit unfair to compare his lack of temperament 'talent' with Afridi. Afridi was more of a guy who wanted to please the crowd, enjoy the chants rather than play accordingly- something he was capable of. Selfish is the word but sounds a bit harsh, maybe ignorant instead.

 

[abrarahmedsyed]

You forgot the best one.... Highest number of sixes

 

[Ab Fan]

Yes potential was definitely there.You dont hit a 37 ball100 at such young age so easily.

But end of the day, he was just a good cricketer and anyone who would have played that many games would have done a lot better.

He could have been an ATG had he fulfilled his potential and used his brain while batting.

 

[DRsohail]

for ur kind information lala u have never been consistent performer in bowling department as well as in batting....dont tell us that u were a bowler..

 

[MenInG]

Liked this interview - mellowing out now as he gets older (finally!)

 

[msb314]

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

Since when?

I have disliked Umar Akmal for a long time - even long before the 2015 WC.

If he regains full fitness - he MAY have a chance at opening in T20's. But that is as far as it will go for a very long tiime...

 

[msb314]

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

Understood.

I think he was beginning to play more to his potential and maintained some sort of consistency during the Woolmer days (2004-07) back when he smashed India across ODI's and even Tests and also scored heavily against England, in the WI and in SAF.

Sadly could not maintain that form after Woolmer's demise.

 

[Abdul]

No, you were always mediocre and just couldn't do any better.

 

[kingusama92]

Never had the mindset to achieve more.

BUT credit to him for turning his crazy approach into a fun marketing gimmick.

 

[TeymurBlake]

Well its no suprise that he's mentioning this since he's retired but it comes as no shock to the cricketing world. We all expected him to be a better player in his career. His biggest issue was his inconsistent. The amount of times I've seen him go out on the first ball during my childhood is deeply upsetting specially when you think of all the times Pakistan have needed him to deliver. But he did have some great moments with the ball though.

 

[Abdullah719]

A reminder that the thread is NOT about Kapil Dev versus Imran Khan.

 

[PakLFC]

He never had the temperament to be an all time great. Hindsight is a great thing but if given another chance Lala would still be a slogger. In such a long career he never tried to bat maturely.

 

[yasir]

dont think you guys got what I meant

I meant he knew the issue from a long time so its not some recent realization. In response to Sherlock's "Shame he didn't realize earlier' and 'easy to say now' comments.

For me the problem was the same which is the problem with [MENTION=137804]msb314[/MENTION]'s favorite boy, Umar Akmal.

They just dont have the temperament or composure. However many people disregard that when anointing a player to be 'talented' whereas for me it IS one of the things apart from bowling or batting skills which make a cricketer talented

One of the problem is that most fans and these players themselves don't realize how much of a mental challenge is for guys like Afridi, UA, Gayle etc to change themselves, despite being great reflexes and power...

It's easy for players like Tendulkar, Dravid, MoYo, Chandar paul, Misbah etc to develop temperament, they already have that personality, they don't have to change much themselves...Where as for Afridi, he has to born again with a different genes, that transformation is not possible via software only(means learning), you need to switch everything, its not function of how much you know about yourself alone...Do you really want to change everything about yourself ??

People still loved him for what he was, not wishing for him to be Tendulkar...Also, if T20 was bloomed at turn of Century, Afridi could have milked it lot more and would have been a much bigger legend, he was ahead of his time in many ways for his genere...

 

[Slog]

A reminder that the thread is NOT about Kapil Dev versus Imran Khan.

Thanks

That particular topic has already been discussed to death and it has been established that a one-legged Imran Khan was significantly better than Kapil Dev

 

[Leo23]

promoting afridi as an opener did his career a lot of damage

he should always have been used as a lower order hitter

a leg spinner who is good enough to take 400 odi wickets and average around 24 with a strike rate of 110+ is worth his weight in gold and definitely atg material

 

[bujhee kom]

Unique star. Forebearer of T20 cricket.

 

[Abdullah719]

A reminder that the thread is NOT about Kapil Dev versus Imran Khan.

Thanks

That particular topic has already been discussed to death and it has been established that a one-legged Imran Khan was significantly better than Kapil Dev

Since the warning wasn't heeded and it looks like everyone is hell-bent on this discussion, the Kapil vs IK posts have been moved to a relevant thread. http://www.pakpassion.net/ppforum/showthread.php?246205

 

[Messiah]

Legend still