I see two extremes of PAK supporters here in PP these days.
One group is overenthusiastic and they are still in denial mode - equates everything based on the PAK cricket team 15-20 years back or earlier. And, these bunch regularly get a reality check these days. But, there is a small group as well in the other end - they try to change past based on the current state of PAK cricket.
This thread is one such case - SHAHID AFRIDI wasn't Shadab Khan FGS. Afrdi wasted his God gifted ability for cheap cricket and never bothered to develop his game, instead of being the corner stone of PAK cricket, guy made his way through the shallow route - occasional brilliance, lots of media mockery and a loyal base of deluded fans (most of whom teen agers, at least mentally). He had the ability to finish career with ~150 Tests, ~500 Test wickets @ <35 and close to 8K Test runs @ ~35 average, but a SR over 75 and some 150+ catches - may be 15+ 5fors and 15+ Test hundreds to add to that. That's may not be ATG state, but definitely one that would have taken him to the status of PAK/Asian greats.
BUT still, the guy was an outstanding LO player, and an ATG T20 player. He played in an era when bowlers had a remotely fair game hence his loose cannon efforts often ended in premature death - countless times, he got out (we called - threw his wicket) to a harmless ball when he was in full command. That was his second nature, something won't have changed regardless of playing conditions. But, what would have changed in this "modern" era of cricket is his countless innings of 20s & 30s - ending to a difficult ball or hold out to boundary. These are the innings that would have made difference in current playing conditions - with modern compressed bats, just bring the boundary rope 5 metres inside, even in 1990s & 2000s, Shahid Afridi would have been a different proposition with bat.
As a bowler, he was mean and economical - and he played most of his games when there was some art of spin play still left; so the guy ended as a decent leg-spinner. The way these days leg-spinners like Rashid, Shadab, Chahal, Shodhi, Adil, Tahir ..... are running through batting line-ups, I just wonder what Afridi could have done today. Yes, his economy would have suffered, but I am sure every other bowling parameters - SR, average, 4/5fors would have been much better. Honestly, I don't think this Afghan guy Rashid is a better leggi than Afridi at his pomp and Rashid is running riots even in IPL, which tells lot about the quality of spin play these days.
Like most PAK cricketers, Shahid Afridi ruined his own career himself, then dragged it to tarnish his legacy; otherwise guy could have been a living legend for the right reasons. I always say - education helps, more so in a game like cricket .... can't be more true for five PAK players of past years - Shoaib, A Razzak, Mo Yousuf and the one & only Shahid Khan Afridi - fifth one was Misbah ul Haq, at the opposite end.
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