Shahid Afridi’s batting in ODIs

[kev13]

Pakistan fans, how do you rate, remember shahid afridi as an odi batsman?Do you think he was always average/above average batsman? Do you think at one point his batting declined significantly (specially post 2004) ?Do you think he was very frustating as a batsman.

Recently i was observing odi stat of some great all rounders, including shahid afridi. (Considering their eras) I think many dont consider shahid afridi a batsman/proper batsman because of his very low batting average. However, if his strike rate is considered along with odi average, i think he is at least an average/above average. In terms of impact, i think his batting was better than batters like mahela jayawerdene, yunous khans batting .Comparing to his teammates batting, i think his batting was far better than average/above average.

I think there is a perception that from 2004,after focusing on bowling, his batting declined (maybe because his bowling overshadowed his batting in this period. But i agree that in this period his bowling was better than his batting ). But after deep observation, it seems to me that his batting improved significantly in this period. In 2002-2023 period, afridis batting average was 5 less than an average batsmans average but his strike rate was 45 more.

I think afridis odi batting is misjudged, misunderstood, maybe in some way underrated. (this post is on the basis of era adjusted stat, not raw stat)

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Below average.

Had some good periods when he was opening the batting but the way he would come out and play his "natural game" regardless of the situation of the match showed what a selfish player he was.

I respect him as a cricketer. As a bowler he was ahead of his time, and he was a proper star who was one of the most recognizable faces in world cricket - something today's clowns could only dream of becoming.

But as a batsman he was incredibly selfish because most of the time he cared more about coming out and doing his own thing, rather than doing what the team needed from him. His ODI numbers reflect this too.

 

[kev13]

Below average.

Had some good periods when he was opening the batting but the way he would come out and play his "natural game" regardless of the situation of the match showed what a selfish player he was.

I respect him as a cricketer. As a bowler he was ahead of his time, and he was a proper star who was one of the most recognizable faces in world cricket - something today's clowns could only dream of becoming.

But as a batsman he was incredibly selfish because most of the time he cared more about coming out and doing his own thing, rather than doing what the team needed from him. His ODI numbers reflect this too.

How do you compare him with someone like yunous khan or mahela jayawerdene in odi ?

 

[Major]

Worst batter ever. There is nothing to be misjudged, or under rate about. Avg 23 runs with the bat is terrible. As soon as he would come out to bat the tail would start.

Issue wasnt with his batting technique, issue was with his temperament. Navjot Sindhu made a great point that Afridi played for his reputation. That since im known as boom boom or six hitter, so i need to smack it to keep the reputation alive.

What fans like me hate about Afridi was that he had alot of potential. Some of his good innings were he batted sensible and did not whack all around. He had potential, but he wasted himself.

He did win us the World T20 2009, but Afridi had the potential to do more with the bat in ODI and Test, and he wasted it.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

How do you compare him with someone like yunous khan or mahela jayawerdene in odi ?

Both were better ODI batsmen than him despite being mediocre ODI batsmen themselves. Mahela and Younis didn't willingly throw away countless matches for their countries by turning off their brains swinging for the fences.

 

[Major]

How do you compare him with someone like yunous khan or mahela jayawerdene in odi ?

Younis in ODI isnt a standard, because even Younis was garbage in ODIs. After the 2011 World Cup, Younis was regressing in ODIs. He was highly over rated on this forum especially back than due to the fall out and ban he received by PCB. Because in Pakistan, the guy who is not playing is always the best.

A better way to compare Afridi is by comparing him to Hafeez. Hafeez had better stats as an allrounder compared to Afridi.

 

[Major]

Both were better ODI batsmen than him despite being mediocre ODI batsmen themselves. Mahela and Younis didn't willingly throw away countless matches for their countries by turning off their brains swinging for the fences.

I agree with what you said here, but than Younis also did an Afridi too.

Younis wasnt really suppose to play the 2015 world cup as it was well established that he wasnt odi material and was rubbish, and he at the end used the media to bring himself back.

My issue with Younis in ODI was that he would never accept he sucked in Odis and was using his test run to get into the odi team. Similarly, Afridi after losing games and being dropped was often back due to sponsor demands.

Younis had the media backing, especially Karachi media, while Afridi had the sponsor backing.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I agree with what you said here, but than Younis also did an Afridi too.

Younis wasnt really suppose to play the 2015 world cup as it was well established that he wasnt odi material and was rubbish, and he at the end used the media to bring himself back.

My issue with Younis in ODI was that he would never accept he sucked in Odis and was using his test run to get into the odi team. Similarly, Afridi after losing games and being dropped was often back due to sponsor demands.

Younis had the media backing, especially Karachi media, while Afridi had the sponsor backing.

Media backing type stuff can't be proven. And Younis was not the only player who had media backing. Ultimately it was the selectors decision and it was not like there were too many other options after Hafeez got injured and ruled out of the tournament. They wanted an experienced batsman who could bat in the top-order and Younis fit the bill.

 

[shaz619]

As an A/R his batting was more than acceptable, here’s a list of performances against India:

Dhaka 2000 – 109 (71)
Karachi 2004 – 28 (18)
Peshawar 2004 – 47 (23)
Visakhapatnam 2005 – 46 (26)
Kanpur 2005 – 102 (45)
Delhi 2005 – 40 (23)
Mohali 2005 – 102 (46)
Abu Dhabi 2006 – 59 (46)
Dhaka (Asia Cup) 2014 – 34 (18)



BOOM! BOOM! AFRIDI!

 

[Major]

Media backing type stuff can't be proven. And Younis was not the only player who had media backing. Ultimately it was the selectors decision and it was not like there were too many other options after Hafeez got injured and ruled out of the tournament. They wanted an experienced batsman who could bat in the top-order and Younis fit the bill.

Younis was actually dropped for the 2015 world cup. In the initial squad he was not added, and younis threw a tantrum to the media.

The media back than started to target pcb, because younis has the habit of using the dialogue kay Pakistan kay star ko drop kerdia, something along that.

He was added back to the squad later. Misbah didnt he wanted him in the team, because i remember Younis played like 3 games only.

Options were there though. Fawad Alam and Azhar Ali were both better options at the time. Azhar Ali regressed later, but back than he was good enough odi batter thay was ignored. Fawad Alam, had his issues but i still believe he was better option in odi than younis

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

As an A/R his batting was more than acceptable, here’s a list of performances against India:

Dhaka 2000 – 109 (71)
Karachi 2004 – 28 (18)
Peshawar 2004 – 47 (23)
Visakhapatnam 2005 – 46 (26)
Kanpur 2005 – 102 (45)
Delhi 2005 – 40 (23)
Mohali 2005 – 102 (46)
Abu Dhabi 2006 – 59 (46)
Dhaka (Asia Cup) 2014 – 34 (18)



BOOM! BOOM! AFRIDI!

This one too.. 29 (14) in a memorable run-chase in Mohali. He definitely had some good performances against India.

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www.espncricinfo.com

 

[zaidihusain]

I have followed full career of Shahid Afridi from from his fastest century to his last T20I match.

Every other month he used to do his infamous tell all press conferences & openly ridiculed PCB, fellow players, coaches in media. He faked his retirement numerous times & came back and he literally begged Inzammam for one farewell game just to showoff his fake legacy.

According to me he had the most manipulative career in the history of Pakistan cricket, he was neither a proper bowler nor a batsman but still managed to play international cricket for more than 20 years because of lobbying in media & creating his brand value through sponsors specially after 2003 WC when all senior players left. His contribution to Pakistan cricket considering the matches he had played & the freedom he was given is nothing but no doubt he won 2 games in 2009 WC. He took 395 ODI wickets but 80% of those wickets were random wickets without much impact, he was never a frontline spinner in his career except in 2011 WC. Yes he won 32 MOM in ODI with his own performance but in his rest of the matches his performance was almost negligible and he lost several games. It's not really possible to explain these things to his fans

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

I have followed full career of Shahid Afridi from from his fastest century to his last T20I match.

Every other month he used to do his infamous tell all press conferences & openly ridiculed PCB, fellow players, coaches in media. He faked his retirement numerous times & came back and he literally begged Inzammam for one farewell game just to showoff his fake legacy.

According to me he had the most manipulative career in the history of Pakistan cricket, he was neither a proper bowler nor a batsman but still managed to play international cricket for more than 20 years because of lobbying in media & creating his brand value through sponsors specially after 2003 WC when all senior players left. His contribution to Pakistan cricket considering the matches he had played & the freedom he was given is nothing but no doubt he won 2 games in 2009 WC. He took 395 ODI wickets but 80% of those wickets were random wickets without much impact, he was never a frontline spinner in his career except in 2011 WC. Yes he won 32 MOM in ODI with his own performance but in his rest of the matches his performance was almost negligible and he lost several games. It's not really possible to explain these things to his fans

Agree on all things except the bowling part. He became a genuinely good bowler in the later part of his career, who was a genuine weapon because of the pace he bowled at, and the variations he incorporated. Pakistan's spin attack of Afridi, Ajmal and Hafeez was the best in the world in ODI for a considerable period of time; of which Afridi was an integral part. But as a batter he lost far more matches than he ever won.

 

[ElRaja]

he was a good odi batsmen, but his lack of application was frustrating, prior to the advent of t20s, when you needed to be a multi format player his batting performances in test matches show what a good player he was. his batting won pakistan the 2009 t20 wc. he revolutionised hitting tho, for a decade him and jayasuriya were the most aggressive players by miles. and his s/r in tests was unmatches for someone playing in that era, and the fact that it hasnt been beaten in 20 years, scoring five hundreds, none against minnow teams, since says something. would have been a signficantly superior number 6 compared to asad shafiq, alas it wasnt meant to be.

 

[Major]

I have followed full career of Shahid Afridi from from his fastest century to his last T20I match.

Every other month he used to do his infamous tell all press conferences & openly ridiculed PCB, fellow players, coaches in media. He faked his retirement numerous times & came back and he literally begged Inzammam for one farewell game just to showoff his fake legacy.

According to me he had the most manipulative career in the history of Pakistan cricket, he was neither a proper bowler nor a batsman but still managed to play international cricket for more than 20 years because of lobbying in media & creating his brand value through sponsors specially after 2003 WC when all senior players left. His contribution to Pakistan cricket considering the matches he had played & the freedom he was given is nothing but no doubt he won 2 games in 2009 WC. He took 395 ODI wickets but 80% of those wickets were random wickets without much impact, he was never a frontline spinner in his career except in 2011 WC. Yes he won 32 MOM in ODI with his own performance but in his rest of the matches his performance was almost negligible and he lost several games. It's not really possible to explain these things to his fans

Potw. Well said.

I was surprised when he won the player of the tournament during the wt 2007.

Another aspect that fans also forget is that he used to bowl after the powerplays. He was a defensive bowler. The powerplays overs were forced on saeed ajmal

 

[Major]

he was a good odi batsmen, but his lack of application was frustrating, prior to the advent of t20s, when you needed to be a multi format player his batting performances in test matches show what a good player he was. his batting won pakistan the 2009 t20 wc. he revolutionised hitting tho, for a decade him and jayasuriya were the most aggressive players by miles. and his s/r in tests was unmatches for someone playing in that era, and the fact that it hasnt been beaten in 20 years, scoring five hundreds, none against minnow teams, since says something. would have been a signficantly superior number 6 compared to asad shafiq, alas it wasnt meant to be.

Bro you are missing one thing. He would had been considered a good odi batter if he had avg atleast 30, and that is a very low avg in odi.

What people often forget is that Afridi used to play during the batting pp era, where battinf teams had the option to use their batting pp when they felt like. We used to use that pp only when Afridi would come to the crease. So he used to have an advantage.

Even with that advantage he still avged 20 runs.

That makes him look more bad

 

[ElRaja]

Bro you are missing one thing. He would had been considered a good odi batter if he had avg atleast 30, and that is a very low avg in odi.

What people often forget is that Afridi used to play during the batting pp era, where battinf teams had the option to use their batting pp when they felt like. We used to use that pp only when Afridi would come to the crease. So he used to have an advantage.

Even with that advantage he still avged 20 runs.

That makes him look more bad

he was very good against spin, he was ok against pace, he was a good foil to abdur razzaq who was the opposite. my point may have been missed, his numbers are poor, but thats because of his lack of application, but the core ingredients, the hand eye coordination, the technique against spin, the bat speed, he was a good batsmen who did poorly in odis.

 

[giri26]

Shahid Afridi was a decent bat but threw his wicket away far too often in crucial phases to be considered reliable. There was always a threat that he will score runs but that was few and far in-between to worry any opposition. He played 67 ODIs against India and may be performed in 7 or 8 of them with the bat. His bowling was never a threat against India which is proven by the average of 60 at an SR of 71. He did have the talent as seen in his initial days when he was far more consistent and did well in Tests too but he never had the mental fortitude to take that forward. He could have been a 30+ averaging batter with a high SR but instead he let himself be a flash in a pan sort of player with once in a blue moon performances.

 

[shaz619]

he was a good odi batsmen, but his lack of application was frustrating, prior to the advent of t20s, when you needed to be a multi format player his batting performances in test matches show what a good player he was. his batting won pakistan the 2009 t20 wc. he revolutionised hitting tho, for a decade him and jayasuriya were the most aggressive players by miles. and his s/r in tests was unmatches for someone playing in that era, and the fact that it hasnt been beaten in 20 years, scoring five hundreds, none against minnow teams, since says something. would have been a signficantly superior number 6 compared to asad shafiq, alas it wasnt meant to be.

For me he’s an ATG purely as a pioneer of the brand of cricket we see today, he is both harshly judged and overrated - in-between, he was a box-office Hall of Famer who entertained audiences all around the world and attracted new fans to the game, the era he played in was extremely challenging for batters - imo it was peak cricket in terms of entertainment, quality of cricket, ATG cricketers from all over the globe and some of the greatest teams in the history of our sport; Afridi still thrived during such an era, for sure his talent begged for more but he was also unfortunate to play in some of the most toxic Pakistani dressing rooms ever; and it took a special coach in Bob Woolmer to get him to apply himself and just when he was, the greatest coach ever passed sadly; but as an A/R & entertainer, Afridi deserves his place in the pantheon of greats and at least we got that memorable 09 T20 WC triumph out of him.

 

[Cric1234]

Younis was actually dropped for the 2015 world cup. In the initial squad he was not added, and younis threw a tantrum to the media.

The media back than started to target pcb, because younis has the habit of using the dialogue kay Pakistan kay star ko drop kerdia, something along that.

He was added back to the squad later. Misbah didnt he wanted him in the team, because i remember Younis played like 3 games only.

Options were there though. Fawad Alam and Azhar Ali were both better options at the time. Azhar Ali regressed later, but back than he was good enough odi batter thay was ignored. Fawad Alam, had his issues but i still believe he was better option in odi than younis

Misbah was the worst thing to happen to Pakistan limited overs cricket. Despite the champions trophy win Pakistan remained a mediocre team for over a decade in ODIs which started in 2011 after Misbahs innings vs India he was given charge to bring a negative brand of cricket in ODIs by selecting the slowest players.

 

[Mohraheem]

Shahid Afridi was a decent bat but threw his wicket away far too often in crucial phases to be considered reliable. There was always a threat that he will score runs but that was few and far in-between to worry any opposition. He played 67 ODIs against India and may be performed in 7 or 8 of them with the bat. His bowling was never a threat against India which is proven by the average of 60 at an SR of 71. He did have the talent as seen in his initial days when he was far more consistent and did well in Tests too but he never had the mental fortitude to take that forward. He could have been a 30+ averaging batter with a high SR but instead he let himself be a flash in a pan sort of player with once in a blue moon performances.

When u had a hitting role.. and before him came Misbah wasted all the overs with dot balls. He had no choice but to hit. Blame him before you blame lala.

 

[Falconslions]

here’s a list of performances against India:
Dhaka 2000 – 109 (71)
Karachi 2004 – 28 (18)
Peshawar 2004 – 47 (23)
Visakhapatnam 2005 – 46 (26)
Kanpur 2005 – 102 (45)
Delhi 2005 – 40 (23)
Mohali 2005 – 102 (46)
Abu Dhabi 2006 – 59 (46)
Dhaka (Asia Cup) 2014 – 34 (18)



BOOM! BOOM! AFRIDI!

Most of these innings don't exist. He never scored even a 40 in Mohali, let alone 102. He got a 0 in Abu Dhabi, not 59. He got a 0 in Visakhapatnam, not 46. He never got a 28 (18) in Karachi, as he didn't play that match. Even the Dhaka 109 (71) doesn't exist.

Batting records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

He averages 25 against India.
In 64 innings, he has only 4 fifties and 2 hundreds.

In T20Is he averages 7.57 with total of 53 runs across 8 innings.

 

[sweep_shot]

I have watched Shahid Afridi live from 1997 till his retirement.

I consider Shahid Afridi as one of the ODI legends. He has over 8000 ODI runs and close to 400 ODI wickets. That is legendary.

He was box office.

 

[Major]

he was very good against spin, he was ok against pace, he was a good foil to abdur razzaq who was the opposite. my point may have been missed, his numbers are poor, but thats because of his lack of application, but the core ingredients, the hand eye coordination, the technique against spin, the bat speed, he was a good batsmen who did poorly in odis.

His potential was no doubt on the higher side, and it really does suck that he never lived up to that.

One thing that really bothered me was because of him Mansoor Amjad was not getting picked. And Amjad was a better spinner with more turn and could bat abit.

I wonder if Afridi could be consider a T20 legend though. It was a good thing that he ended up pulling the player of the tournament award for the first World T20.

 

[Major]

Shahid Afridi was a decent bat but threw his wicket away far too often in crucial phases to be considered reliable. There was always a threat that he will score runs but that was few and far in-between to worry any opposition. He played 67 ODIs against India and may be performed in 7 or 8 of them with the bat. His bowling was never a threat against India which is proven by the average of 60 at an SR of 71. He did have the talent as seen in his initial days when he was far more consistent and did well in Tests too but he never had the mental fortitude to take that forward. He could have been a 30+ averaging batter with a high SR but instead he let himself be a flash in a pan sort of player with once in a blue moon performances.

Afridi's bowling was good because of the fact that he never threw a full toss. His bowling lengths used to be dead accurate. He never turned the ball, and used to rely on variations and a defensive field position outside of the powerplay to deceive batters.

Indian batters have never faced issues when facing part time spinners or bowlers that dont turn the ball

 

[BouncerGuy]

He was never a complete batter, nor was he a complete bowler. He is an all-rounder. Some day you will see him shine with a bowl, and the next day he will do it with a bat.

I will not rate him high purely based on his batting. He was a game changer with both.

 

[Hyder]

Bro you are missing one thing. He would had been considered a good odi batter if he had avg atleast 30, and that is a very low avg in odi.

What people often forget is that Afridi used to play during the batting pp era, where battinf teams had the option to use their batting pp when they felt like. We used to use that pp only when Afridi would come to the crease. So he used to have an advantage.

Even with that advantage he still avged 20 runs.

That makes him look more bad

30 low avg in odi?
Bro sanath jayasuria, the one every one hails as great has 32 avg with only 90 sr
So afridi 23 avg with 115 sr in that era isnt that bad when you look at it.
Have been a critic of afridi for far too long,not because he was useless but because he always had the ability. He could have been greatest pak test no 6. A bigger name than he is rn. But not to be.

But when i look at current stock of all rounders in pakistan where we cant even replace shadab. Faheem is playing as batsman with no century and 1 or 2 fifties and 15 avg. Then i miss afridi a bit. He might have been useless but these new players dont stand a chance infront of him.

Regarding younis khan as the debate was going on. Will never pick younis over afridi in pak xi in loi.

 

[kev13]

If you adjust afridi and Jayasuriyas stat for 2016-2026 era, then afridis batting average becomes 25.05 and strike rate becomes 131. Jayasuriyas batting average becomes 35 and strike rate becomes 105.

30 low avg in odi?
Bro sanath jayasuria, the one every one hails as great has 32 avg with only 90 sr
So afridi 23 avg with 115 sr in that era isnt that bad when you look at it.
Have been a critic of afridi for far too long,not because he was useless but because he always had the ability. He could have been greatest pak test no 6. A bigger name than he is rn. But not to be.

But when i look at current stock of all rounders in pakistan where we cant even replace shadab. Faheem is playing as batsman with no century and 1 or 2 fifties and 15 avg. Then i miss afridi a bit. He might have been useless but these new players dont stand a chance infront of him.

Regarding younis khan as the debate was going on. Will never pick younis over afridi in pak xi in loi.

 

[kev13]

30 low avg in odi?
Bro sanath jayasuria, the one every one hails as great has 32 avg with only 90 sr
So afridi 23 avg with 115 sr in that era isnt that bad when you look at it.
Have been a critic of afridi for far too long,not because he was useless but because he always had the ability. He could have been greatest pak test no 6. A bigger name than he is rn. But not to be.

But when i look at current stock of all rounders in pakistan where we cant even replace shadab. Faheem is playing as batsman with no century and 1 or 2 fifties and 15 avg. Then i miss afridi a bit. He might have been useless but these new players dont stand a chance infront of him.

Regarding younis khan as the debate was going on. Will never pick younis over afridi in pak xi in loi.

If you adjust afridi and Jayasuriyas stat for 2016-2026 era, then afridis batting average becomes 25.05 and strike rate becomes 131. Jayasuriyas batting average becomes 35. 47 and strike rate becomes 107.(in my previous reply i said wrong about jayasuriyas adjusted strike rate )

 

[Hitman]

Sanath Jayasuriya scored 28 centuries in 433 ODI innings.

Shahid Afridi scored 6 centuries in 369 ODI innings.​

 

[kev13]

30 low avg in odi?
Bro sanath jayasuria, the one every one hails as great has 32 avg with only 90 sr
So afridi 23 avg with 115 sr in that era isnt that bad when you look at it.
Have been a critic of afridi for far too long,not because he was useless but because he always had the ability. He could have been greatest pak test no 6. A bigger name than he is rn. But not to be.

But when i look at current stock of all rounders in pakistan where we cant even replace shadab. Faheem is playing as batsman with no century and 1 or 2 fifties and 15 avg. Then i miss afridi a bit. He might have been useless but these new players dont stand a chance infront of him.

Regarding younis khan as the debate was going on. Will never pick younis over afridi in pak xi in loi.

In my previous reply to this comment, i said slightly wrong about jayasuriyas adjusted strike rate for 2016-2026 era. Jayasuriyas adjusted strike rate for that era is 107

 

[Hyder]

If you adjust afridi and Jayasuriyas stat for 2016-2026 era, then afridis batting average becomes 25.05 and strike rate becomes 131. Jayasuriyas batting average becomes 35. 47 and strike rate becomes 107.(in my previous reply i said wrong about jayasuriyas adjusted strike rate )

Why adjusting?
Someone just pointed that if afridi managed 30 which is low odi avg then he d be any good to which i pointed out that great jayasuria avg only 32 with way less sr.

115 odi sr is way too good in that era. Yes he didnt have half as good a career as he should ve with his ability but seeing current allrounders and pack of power in pak lineup i d say afridi was way better

 

[Hyder]

Sanath Jayasuriya scored 28 centuries in 433 ODI innings.

Shahid Afridi scored 6 centuries in 369 ODI innings.​

Babar had like 19 century in 130 150 matches. Centuries are just one parameter.

Not saying afridi was greater or lower than jayasuria. Just pointing out that eras have changed and 30 avg with high sr was great back then when we had one ball. None of the current hitters would be able to clear boundary that easily with 40 overs old ball.

As a matter of fact afridi is t20i great.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Sanath Jayasuriya scored 28 centuries in 433 ODI innings.

Shahid Afridi scored 6 centuries in 369 ODI innings.​

Sanath much better batsman, Afridi was a much better bowler.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

I think if you were to ask any selector/coach that we have this guy he bowls some good legspin and can biff a few runs at various batting positions, they would bite your hand off.

He had a decent career and for many of us growing up in that time there was always excitement when he came out to bat.

He had many negatives too, his big ego stopped him from having a better career.

 

[kev13]

Why adjusting?
Someone just pointed that if afridi managed 30 which is low odi avg then he d be any good to which i pointed out that great jayasuria avg only 32 with way less sr.

115 odi sr is way too good in that era. Yes he didnt have half as good a career as he should ve with his ability but seeing current allrounders and pack of power in pak lineup i d say afridi was way better

I adjusted the stats only for better comparison. Afridi debuted seven year before Jayasuriya and played last odi probably 7 years before afridi. Batting trend has changed a lot through the years. Compared to past, the game is very much batting friendly at present. For this reason raw stat is not good to compare these batsmen statistically.

 

[Hitman]

Babar had like 19 century in 130 150 matches. Centuries are just one parameter.

1 ball per innings vs 2 new balls per innings.

Jayasuriya and Afridi played in the same eras.

 

[Sachin fan]

As an A/R his batting was more than acceptable, here’s a list of performances against India:

Dhaka 2000 – 109 (71)
Karachi 2004 – 28 (18)
Peshawar 2004 – 47 (23)
Visakhapatnam 2005 – 46 (26)
Kanpur 2005 – 102 (45)
Delhi 2005 – 40 (23)
Mohali 2005 – 102 (46)
Abu Dhabi 2006 – 59 (46)
Dhaka (Asia Cup) 2014 – 34 (18)



BOOM! BOOM! AFRIDI!

So around 9 performances in over 67 matches against india? In that only 4 above 50+ score out of 67 matches? That's less than 1 in 15 matches.

Combine that with a bowling average of above 60 against india

If that is more than acceptable, explains everything about the state of Pak cricket.

What's with you and hyping below average performances? You always go for the words and actions of the players instead of actual performances, isn't it? First Amir and now this.

 

[Sachin fan]

Most of these innings don't exist. He never scored even a 40 in Mohali, let alone 102. He got a 0 in Abu Dhabi, not 59. He got a 0 in Visakhapatnam, not 46. He never got a 28 (18) in Karachi, as he didn't play that match. Even the Dhaka 109 (71) doesn't exist.

Batting records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

He averages 25 against India.
In 64 innings, he has only 4 fifties and 2 hundreds.

In T20Is he averages 7.57 with total of 53 runs across 8 innings.

I think he combined all format for some weird reasons when OP clearly says ODIs

Leave it to him to hype another average performance against india like the next best thing.

 

[Bhaijaan]

Definition of a slogger.
His record as a batter is so bad its not even funny.

 

[shaz619]

So around 9 performances in over 67 matches against india? In that only 4 above 50+ score out of 67 matches? That's less than 1 in 15 matches.

Combine that with a bowling average of above 60 against india

If that is more than acceptable, explains everything about the state of Pak cricket.

What's with you and hyping below average performances? You always go for the words and actions of the players instead of actual performances, isn't it? First Amir and now this.

His Test record against India speaks for itself, and Afridi was ahead of his time and a pioneer of the cricket you love to watch today.

Overall he was a legendary A/R in limited forms.

What is it that you know what’s best for Pakistan, especially as a big Misbah, Babar & Rizwan fan?

Post Afridi what have we achieved? There’s that isolated CT 17 win (Thank you very much Mohammad Amir for pulling Kohli’s down and Pak side), but the way we have been playing limited overs is dated.

Afridi use to spank India for fun and gave us many memorable moments against them, yes, he was inconsistent but overall he had a great career.

Nowadays you know the headline when it comes to Pak/Ind games losing 3 times in a row in the Asia Cup while I recall Afridi breaking your hearts against Ashwin, who has repeated that since for Pakistan and who has done it so consistently because they must have been way better than Afridi.

 

[shaz619]

I think he combined all format for some weird reasons when OP clearly says ODIs

Leave it to him to hype another average performance against india like the next best thing.

I am finding it difficult to judge whether you are sore from all the Afridi beatings or rating these players based on your own weird criteria or how they compare to your players - if you look at these players with Pakistani resources in mind and am afraid Pakistan have regressed since Afridi, maybe he should have applied himself more in a difficult era but he is everything we need our T20 team to be today; what part of that is hard to understand.

Many of you only started watching cricket since 2020 and do a hu hah over a couple of flashy cover drives on flat pitches with shorter boundaries with the fielders in.

 

[shaz619]

Afridi averages only 9 runs less than Jayasuriya but at a much better S/R which was the world record for a while in ODI’s (I don’t know if it still is), for his era that’s actually pretty decent for an A/R really. I would like to apologise to Mr. Afridi for all the past criticism, sadly like in life, you don’t know what you had till its gone - look at the Teletubies we have now. The bacha party of today will never know the magic of BOOM! BOOM! AFRIDI!

 

[shaz619]

Sanath much better batsman, Afridi was a much better bowler.

Agree with this, and both won world championship medals playing in a fashion which was ostracised but admired today, pioneers of our sport. I would say Afridi was a much bigger box office draw, look at the tickets he use to sell here it was mental, Sanath was a superstar in his own right.

 

[shaz619]

Sanath Jayasuriya scored 28 centuries in 433 ODI innings.

Shahid Afridi scored 6 centuries in 369 ODI innings.​

33% of Afridi’s hundreds were against India and 1 of them was a world record where he gave you a good hiding in Kanpur - burn baby burn

Kanpur am sure app koo bahot yaaad athi hai more than Survivor Series 1997

 

[Sachin fan]

I am finding it difficult to judge whether you are sore from all the Afridi beatings or rating these players based on your own weird criteria or how they compare to your players - if you look at these players with Pakistani resources in mind and am afraid Pakistan have regressed since Afridi, maybe he should have applied himself more in a difficult era but he is everything we need our T20 team to be today; what part of that is hard to understand.

Many of you only started watching cricket since 2020 and do a hu hah over a couple of flashy cover drives on flat pitches with shorter boundaries with the fielders in.

You seriously think 4 50+ score in 67 matches is a beating then I have nothing more to say, lol


Keep living in your delusional world

 

[Sachin fan]

33% of Afridi’s hundreds were against India and 1 of them was a world record where he gave you a good hiding in Kanpur - burn baby burn

Kanpur am sure app koo bahot yaaad athi hai more than Survivor Series 1997

Burn because he played 2 100 innings in 67 matches. Meanwhile kohli Sachin etc played one innings almost every 3-4 games against Pakistan

I think you are the most delusional poster on this site.

 

[shaz619]

You seriously think 4 50+ score in 67 matches is a beating then I have nothing more to say, lol


Keep living in your delusional world

It has clearly bothered you, a tool with Squeaky in his user name is calling others deluded. Like I said a kid who just started watching wouldn’t appreciate his performances and especially when he made you lot nanga

 

[zaidihusain]

Agree on all things except the bowling part. He became a genuinely good bowler in the later part of his career, who was a genuine weapon because of the pace he bowled at, and the variations he incorporated. Pakistan's spin attack of Afridi, Ajmal and Hafeez was the best in the world in ODI for a considerable period of time; of which Afridi was an integral part. But as a batter he lost far more matches than he ever won.

No doubt his bowling improved from 2007 to 2011 but I still wonder how such a massive age fudger and an irresponsible player managed to stay in the team for 21 long years. Even in 2016 he wasn't willing to retire and was forcefully dropped.

Potw. Well said.

I was surprised when he won the player of the tournament during the wt 2007.

Another aspect that fans also forget is that he used to bowl after the powerplays. He was a defensive bowler. The powerplays overs were forced on saeed ajmal

I am not a fan of Misbah but he unfairly got all the blame for the losses in 2007 & 2011. In my opinion Afridi & Yunus were more responsible for 2007 loss and very much responsible for 2011 loss.

People supporting Afridi need to see his shot selection in 2007 F & 2011 SF against India & also 2012 SF against Sri Lanka which Pakistan lost after good start. He was irresponsible & reckless throughout his career. It's funny to see people comparing him with Sanath and saying he had a better average. Sanath played 110 tests, he had 42 100s, 99 50s & 421 wickets (tests + ODIs combined).

Afridi had 11 100s, 47 50s & 425 wickets

In short Afridi's career was all about "I, me & myself" nothing more nothing less

 

[shaz619]

Burn because he played 2 100 innings in 67 matches. Meanwhile kohli Sachin etc played one innings almost every 3-4 games against Pakistan

I think you are the most delusional poster on this site.

Look at this idiot comparing those cowardly chokers who were specialist batters with an A/R - obviously there averages were going to be good, besides neither of those two can brag about their Test record against Pakistan while Afridi has respectable numbers against his biggest rival. You’re not only delusional, but kind of thick to with the hypocrisy and misguided logic you’re not applying universally or appropriately.

 

[Kianig89]

Afridi ended international career of many players , Malinga Bandara , Isuru Udana, and a NZ spinner back in 90s , there are further more in the last.

The face of Ashwin after that Asia Cup games still gives joy to Pakistan fans

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Sanath was far superior to Afridi in ODI cricket. Don't think there's a comparison. His bowling was at a similar level and he was a much better batsman, especially against the top sides

Afridi had outlier performances in a long career but they were few and far between

He would have been a terrific T20 cricketer of they had the format in his prime years but for most of his ODI career he was a bits and pieces allrounder .

 

[shaz619]

Sanath was far superior to Afridi in ODI cricket. Don't think there's a comparison. His bowling was at a similar level and he was a much better batsman, especially against the top sides

Afridi had outlier performances in a long career but they were few and far between

He would have been a terrific T20 cricketer of they had the format in his prime years but for most of his ODI career he was a bits and pieces allrounder .

Afridi is ridiculed for some shocking batting but as an A/R for that era, I don’t think it’s night and day between him and Sanath if we are looking at all round ability, he was clearly the much better bowler & had more match winning spells under his belt, obviously Sanath was a much better batsman but that shouldn’t be a knock on Afridi when Sanath was one of the greatest top order ODI batsman in history, Afridi never had a stable position and should be seen more for his utility, however he played some memorable knocks during a period that was challenging for batters and for many years held the record for the best S/R. Afridi was the better fielder to.

 

[Rafale Nidhal Fan]

Sanath was far superior to Afridi in ODI cricket. Don't think there's a comparison. His bowling was at a similar level and he was a much better batsman, especially against the top sides

Afridi had outlier performances in a long career but they were few and far between

He would have been a terrific T20 cricketer of they had the format in his prime years but for most of his ODI career he was a bits and pieces allrounder .

only thing Sanath was better doing compared to Afridi was making sex tapes.

 

[Rafale Nidhal Fan]

Look at this idiot comparing those cowardly chokers who were specialist batters with an A/R - obviously there averages were going to be good, besides neither of those two can brag about their Test record against Pakistan while Afridi has respectable numbers against his biggest rival. You’re not only delusional, but kind of thick to with the hypocrisy and misguided logic you’re not applying universally or appropriately.

i mean it is expected from his name that is after a midget
next he gona bring in garfield sobers and bradman to belittle afridi

 

[Rafale Nidhal Fan]

Afridi always was a big game player, he didnt need to stat pad to boost his stats

those who saw him those who still fear him know he was one of the best A/R

Id rather have Afridi in my team than midgets and choklis with 50+ avg that fail in crunch games

 

[shaz619]

i mean it is expected from his name that is after a midget
next he gona bring in garfield sobers and bradman to belittle afridi

These same people were insulting Sobers recently as well in one of the Sachin threads, no surprises there, most insecure fans out there and they only support their team when the chips are up

 

[shaz619]

Afridi always was a big game player, he didnt need to stat pad to boost his stats

those who saw him those who still fear him know he was one of the best A/R

Id rather have Afridi in my team than midgets and choklis with 50+ avg that fail in crunch games

Absolutely spot on mate, just saying it how it is, I completely agree.

Kohli quit Tests as well remember, and he didn’t even face Pakistan, in his prime they worshipped, when he lost form the fans turned their back and Kohli retired, he was never all that in Tests anyway but look at Afridi Test record against India mashaAllah And one of the greatest world records in ODI’s achieved against India in Kanpur to

 

[DeadlyVenom]

Sanath was far superior to Afridi in ODI cricket. Don't think there's a comparison. His bowling was at a similar level and he was a much better batsman, especially against the top sides

Afridi had outlier performances in a long career but they were few and far between

He would have been a terrific T20 cricketer of they had the format in his prime years but for most of his ODI career he was a bits and pieces allrounder .

Afridi was a better bowler

 

[Major]

30 low avg in odi?
Bro sanath jayasuria, the one every one hails as great has 32 avg with only 90 sr
So afridi 23 avg with 115 sr in that era isnt that bad when you look at it.
Have been a critic of afridi for far too long,not because he was useless but because he always had the ability. He could have been greatest pak test no 6. A bigger name than he is rn. But not to be.

But when i look at current stock of all rounders in pakistan where we cant even replace shadab. Faheem is playing as batsman with no century and 1 or 2 fifties and 15 avg. Then i miss afridi a bit. He might have been useless but these new players dont stand a chance infront of him.

Regarding younis khan as the debate was going on. Will never pick younis over afridi in pak xi in loi.

an avg of 23 is bad.

30 avg was always considered low, but for all rounders there is some leeway.

I agree on Younis, Younis was a fraud in ODI cricket. and he would use his media buddies to cry himself back into the team

 

[neonoir]

Sanath was far superior to Afridi in ODI cricket. Don't think there's a comparison. His bowling was at a similar level and he was a much better batsman, especially against the top sides

Afridi had outlier performances in a long career but they were few and far between

He would have been a terrific T20 cricketer of they had the format in his prime years but for most of his ODI career he was a bits and pieces allrounder .

If Afridi is a bits and pieces cricketer what does that make of Jadeja?

He's arguably the worst so called "all rounder" to play more than 200 odi's in cricket history.

I'm actually baffled by his stats in 210 matches he's scored under 3k runs and only has 13 50's with 0 centuries

 

[DeadlyVenom]

If Afridi is a bits and pieces cricketer what does that make of Jadeja?

He's arguably the worst so called "all rounder" to play more than 200 odi's in cricket history.

I'm actually baffled by his stats in 210 matches he's scored under 3k runs and only has 13 50's with 0 centuries

From my pov you'd rather have Afridi in an ODi side not just over Jaedja but over Kimble and Harbjahan too.

 

[kev13]

Afridi ended international career of many players , Malinga Bandara , Isuru Udana, and a NZ spinner back in 90s , there are further more in the last.

The face of Ashwin after that Asia Cup games still gives joy to Pakistan fans

How did he end malingas career ?

 

[Hyder]

an avg of 23 is bad.

30 avg was always considered low, but for all rounders there is some leeway.

I agree on Younis, Younis was a fraud in ODI cricket. and he would use his media buddies to cry himself back into the team

Again you are mixing the point. There 2 parameters, comparing afridi with overall world and then comparing him with pakistani players who took his place.

For that era sanath the great odi top order bat avgs 32 so afridi 23 doesnt look that low.

Secondly we have shadab avg 25@85, nawaz 21@85, faheem 14.6@85.
Heck even hafeez our permanent top order player avgs just 32 with 78 sr.

Now when you look at it how can we say afridi 23 @115 was mediocre. Tbh it is smth we couldnt even replace in 2026.

Shadab bats at 5 in t20i and he isnt fit to tie afridi shoelaces whether it be bowling or hitting. The only thing he might be good at is ground fielding because even in catching afridi was great.

We just dont realise 115sr is about 130 140 in this era. We still dont have a batsman of such pedigree so with all his non seriousness he was still way more valuable for us.

 

[Kianig89]

How did he end malingas career ?

It's Malinga Bandara a spinner from SL

 

[shaz619]

From my pov you'd rather have Afridi in an ODi side not just over Jaedja but over Kimble and Harbjahan too.

In an all time Asian ODI XI, it’s not even a competition, Afridi gets in easily, it might get more competitive for the World XI though

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Afridi was a better bowler

The stars would disagree but OK

 

[Nikhil_cric]

If Afridi is a bits and pieces cricketer what does that make of Jadeja?

He's arguably the worst so called "all rounder" to play more than 200 odi's in cricket history.

I'm actually baffled by his stats in 210 matches he's scored under 3k runs and only has 13 50's with 0 centuries

So where did I disagree with that? Jadeja is a massive white ball fraud.

 

[DeadlyVenom]

The stars would disagree but OK

Which stars have said the otherwise?

Not sure if typo and you meant stats but stats wise Afridi is better too I think

 

[kev13]

No doubt his bowling improved from 2007 to 2011 but I still wonder how such a massive age fudger and an irresponsible player managed to stay in the team for 21 long years. Even in 2016 he wasn't willing to retire and was forcefully dropped.



I am not a fan of Misbah but he unfairly got all the blame for the losses in 2007 & 2011. In my opinion Afridi & Yunus were more responsible for 2007 loss and very much responsible for 2011 loss.

People supporting Afridi need to see his shot selection in 2007 F & 2011 SF against India & also 2012 SF against Sri Lanka which Pakistan lost after good start. He was irresponsible & reckless throughout his career. It's funny to see people comparing him with Sanath and saying he had a better average. Sanath played 110 tests, he had 42 100s, 99 50s & 421 wickets (tests + ODIs combined).

Afridi had 11 100s, 47 50s & 425 wickets

In short Afridi's career was all about "I, me & myself" nothing more nothing less

As an all rounder and compared to other Pakistani players, in the semi final vs india i think afridi was (average to good)/decent.misbah was the best Pakistani batsman in that match. I think yunous khans 13 from 32 damaged the most.
Yunous khan was the second best batter in the t20 world cup 2007 but he had a horrible performance in final of that world cup. In some way he was responsible for the run out of imran nazir who was smashing the indian bowlers

 

[Nikhil_cric]

Which stars have said the otherwise?

Not sure if typo and you meant stats but stats wise Afridi is better too I think

Typo. Meant stats. Afridi's bowling against top sides wasn't any better than Sanath's over the course of their careers.

His fans accuse others if minnow bashing but he himself was a bit of a minnow basher with the ball.

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

 

[kev13]

Typo. Meant stats. Afridi's bowling against top sides wasn't any better than Sanath's over the course of their careers.

His fans accuse others if minnow bashing but he himself was a bit of a minnow basher with the ball.

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

If you adjust afridi and Jayasuriyas bowling stat for 2016-2026 era then ,
Average : afridi 32.81,jayasuriya 35.11
Economy : afridi 4.86,jayasuriya 5.12
Wickets per innings : afridi 1.17255,jayasuriya .9815075
Strike rate : afridi 40.51,jayasuriya 41.18

 

[Major]

Again you are mixing the point. There 2 parameters, comparing afridi with overall world and then comparing him with pakistani players who took his place.

For that era sanath the great odi top order bat avgs 32 so afridi 23 doesnt look that low.

Secondly we have shadab avg 25@85, nawaz 21@85, faheem 14.6@85.
Heck even hafeez our permanent top order player avgs just 32 with 78 sr.

Now when you look at it how can we say afridi 23 @115 was mediocre. Tbh it is smth we couldnt even replace in 2026.

Shadab bats at 5 in t20i and he isnt fit to tie afridi shoelaces whether it be bowling or hitting. The only thing he might be good at is ground fielding because even in catching afridi was great.

We just dont realise 115sr is about 130 140 in this era. We still dont have a batsman of such pedigree so with all his non seriousness he was still way more valuable for us.

An avg of 21 gives no value, especially in odi cricket.

It doesnt matter if your strike rate is 300, a batting avg of 21 means, he will quick score 21 runs be back in the dugout.

Shadab, nawaz and faheem suck as players and are no standard to compare him.

If there is a comparison than you can compare afridi eith hafeez, as Hafeez is a proper comparison.

 

[shaz619]

Typo. Meant stats. Afridi's bowling against top sides wasn't any better than Sanath's over the course of their careers.

His fans accuse others if minnow bashing but he himself was a bit of a minnow basher with the ball.

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

Bowling records | One-Day Internationals | Cricinfo Statsguru | ESPNcricinfo.com

stats.espncricinfo.com

You were around unlike most of the other jobbers, you would know the numbers don’t tell the whole story, second half of his career he was a lethal leg spin option, maybe even the best leg spinner in the world across the limited forms. He walks into every team during that phase with just his bowling, and it was on the backs of players like him,

 

[shaz619]

A leg spinner in itself is such a rare art form that it offers any attack so much depth / versatility, and one as unique as Afridi ought to be admired really. I was a big fan of Afridi & Kumble’s aggressive leg break googly; if anything the latter should support how good Afridi was because stylistically there were many similarities between the two; not too far apart in ODI’s either.

 

[Kianig89]

Not to mention Afridi was a gun fielder too. He certainly lifted the standard of fielding in Pakistan

 

[Nikhil_cric]

You were around unlike most of the other jobbers, you would know the numbers don’t tell the whole story, second half of his career he was a lethal leg spin option, maybe even the best leg spinner in the world across the limited forms. He walks into every team during that phase with just his bowling, and it was on the backs of players like him, that Misbah got to extend his pension and be able to feed his family, our batting as a result was always overlooked. Misbah should really offer his first born to Hafeez, Ajmal and Afridi if we are being real; that’s what those bowlers done for him.

Warne retired from ODIs in 2003. I wouldn't put Afridi above Warne.

Afridi was the default best leg spinner in ODI cricket from '04 and '11 because there was no one else, shazzy.

That era was dominated by finger/mystery spinners and Afridi was a rare exception who was bowling leg spin.

 

[Hyder]

An avg of 21 gives no value, especially in odi cricket.

It doesnt matter if your strike rate is 300, a batting avg of 21 means, he will quick score 21 runs be back in the dugout.

Shadab, nawaz and faheem suck as players and are no standard to compare him.

If there is a comparison than you can compare afridi eith hafeez, as Hafeez is a proper comparison.

Hafeez avg 32 with 70s sr. Is that wayyyy better than afridis? No.

 

[The Bald Eagle]

Some people may call Afridi average, but it's true he owned India on multiple occasions.

 

[Nikhil_cric]

A leg spinner in itself is such a rare art form that it offers any attack so much depth / versatility, and one as unique as Afridi ought to be admired really. I was a big fan of Afridi & Kumble’s aggressive leg break googly; if anything the latter should support how good Afridi was because stylistically there were many similarities between the two; not too far apart in ODI’s either.

What made Afridi such a unique threat , at his best, wasn't really his leg break or his variations.

It was his ability to generate massive drift at high speeds which was very unusual for a spinner. Don't think any spinner has managed to do that either before or after him