In a frank and candid interview with me for Wisden Cricket Magazine, the former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi spoke about the highlights of his career, why he rates Brian Lara as his toughest opponent, sharing the dressing room with likes of Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis and Inzamam-ul-Haq, his relationship with the Late Bob Woolmer and why he would like to stay away from politics - for now.
Dreams of playing cricket professionally
When all you are doing in life at a young age is thinking about cricket and dreaming about cricket then that is most likely going to be your profession. I was constantly dreaming of playing cricket professionally and my dream and ambition was to play for Pakistan. When I achieved that dream of playing for my country, it was a wonderful experience, an experience that only those who have played cricket for their country can really understand. But hand on heart, I never thought I would play for Pakistan for so many years and be loved and appreciated by so many people around the world.
A lucky break
I never believed in short-cuts, it was always about hard work and being committed to cricket. The desire was to play cricket for my country and nobody or nothing was going to stop me from achieving that. You need a bit of luck in life to succeed and sometimes you need a lucky break and I got mine when in 1996 I was called-up to the Pakistan squad in Kenya when Mushtaq Ahmed was injured. I was on a tour of the Caribbean with the Pakistan Under-19 side and I was in good form and doing well and as a result of that I was called-up to join the senior side in Nairobi as a replacement for Mushtaq. And, as they say, the rest is history.
The career-changing knock
People forget that I was a bowler when I started to play cricket. I had entered cricket as a leg-spinner who would bat at number 8 or number 9 and I was quite happy with that role when expectations from me as a batsman were pretty low. Then when that miracle of an innings happened against Sri Lanka in Kenya, I had to re-vamp myself as a cricketer and prove myself as a batsman and to show everyone that the 37-ball century was not a fluke. That innings completely changed my outlook as a cricketer, expectations from me with the bat became so high and people expected me to play such innings every time I went out to bat. Pressure is always there in international cricket, but that innings increased the pressure greatly on me as I suddenly had to change my profile as a cricketer from a bowler to an all-rounder, which was not an easy challenge for me.
Toughest Opponent
That would have to be Brian Lara. I got him out a few times, but whenever I was bowling to him, I always had that feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me, where I never bowled with any confidence to him. He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka. His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class.
Sharing a dressing-room with heroes and legends
I was really lucky in that when I came into the Pakistan team it was blessed with so many big names and legends and heroes of mine like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq. These were cricketers who I used to watch and admire on television and at first it was a strange feeling to be sharing the dressing-room with these greats of the game. But over the course of time I started earning their respect which was a big deal for me. Back then, competition for places was really intense and for each place in the starting XI you had several other options waiting for a chance. It wasn’t just about performing though, you had to be liked by the senior players too which was something that I had to learn and at times overcome.
Most influential team-mate
Sometimes senior players don’t really want to mix or help young and upcoming cricketers, as they see them as a threat, but I was really lucky that Wasim Akram was around. He always supported me, and I learnt so much from Wasim about the game. To have played under his captaincy was something that really helped me throughout my career. I believe that Wasim Akram was a very big influence on me as a cricketer and his guidance and support will always be appreciated.
Most influential Coach
Bob Woolmer was a student of the game of cricket. He wasn’t one of those coaches who had played a lot of cricket at the highest level, but he was a cricket academic. Anybody can get coaching badges and qualifications, but for me it’s all about how you manage and handle cricketers. Any coach is great when you are winning and playing well, but Bob was someone who knew how to treat cricketers when they were down, when things weren’t going well and that to me, is the sign of a great coach. There were occasions when I would hit a boundary and then get out. What Bob Woolmer did was to talk about the boundary in glowing terms and not focus on the dismissal, he had the gift of being able to motivate any of his players. He was a fantastic man-manager and it’s no surprise that the performances of the Pakistan team and of individuals playing under him for Pakistan were very good when he was the Head Coach. It felt like we were a family, not a cricket team, when Bob was the Coach.
The Highs
Just playing for Pakistan was a high for me. So many people dream of playing for their country and never get that opportunity, but for me to have that honour for so long was a great achievement and something that I am so proud of. The 1999 World Cup was a great experience and being a part of that very strong Pakistan team was very enjoyable. It was a great tournament despite us losing the final at Lord’s. The 2009 Twenty20 World Cup win at Lord’s was also a wonderful time in my career and winning that tournament especially with the final being at Lord’s was a major milestone for me.
Tears and low points
There have been too many lows. Cricket makes you smile less, but it makes you cry much more. Cricketing politics at times within the dressing room, poor performances and when you are in a bad patch that also made me feel very down. Then there were the captains who tried their hardest to get rid of me from the team. There were some very tough times during my career, but I remained strong and I always had that self-belief. The support from my family was crucial and that really motivated me and helped me face adversity and challenges. My approach has always been to never fear failure and to always back yourself which is something that I did throughout my career.
Spot-fixing saga
Those days were horrendous for everyone involved in Pakistan cricket. It was an incredibly difficult time for the players who had to pick up the pieces on that tour of England. Wherever we went in England we were labelled as cheats, people were badmouthing us, and fingers were being pointed at all of the squad. They were horrible days, a time that brought shame to Pakistan and a time, which to this day, I have very bad feelings and memories of.
A film about your life?
Well the much-awaited autobiography came out and that was a success. At the moment I’ve no plans of making a film about my career, but if someone wants to make a film based on my autobiography then they can certainly give it a try, but it won't be easy.
Home comforts
Whether it’s your first international match or your hundredth, there is no feeling like playing in front of your own fans. I think people tend to overlook just what a huge advantage it is to play in front of your own fans and on your home surfaces. The return of international cricket to Pakistan has been a huge challenge for the PCB and its brilliant news that more and more teams are willing to tour Pakistan. Pakistan’s Armed Forces deserve a lot of praise for their work in providing touring teams with Presidential level security and I’m delighted that the return of international cricket to Pakistan is now almost complete. We Pakistanis are cricket-mad, and we have all really missed international cricket not being played on our homeland.
All Change at the PCB
The players I have spoken with who have taken part in domestic cricket this season have been satisfied with the changes undertaken by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It’s all about quality over quantity in the new set-up which is understandable. To move forward, sometimes you have to lose some things on the way and it’s unfortunate that some players have not had an opportunity to play in the new structure, but we have to look at the bigger picture and I believe that the new system will provide Pakistan with quality cricketers in future. We have to be patient regarding the new structure and give it time, give it 2 years or maybe 3 years before forming an opinion. One thing we should do is to not keep changing the structure every year as that will only have a negative impact.
Charity work
The Shahid Afridi Foundation is doing very well, and I am grateful to the Almighty that he has given me the strength to embark on this venture. I started this journey with the Foundation as my country and my people have given me a lot and I wanted to give something back to them. It is now time to pay back my country and my aim is to provide education, health facilities and amenities such as running water to remote areas of Pakistan. Those of us who live in comfort forget about the daily struggles of others and I wanted to do my bit for my country and for those people in Pakistan who are struggling. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see my Foundation help and support those struggling in remote areas. We now have 14 schools and 2 hospitals, and we have a number of other projects on the way. My charity work is very dear to me and very close to my heart.
Retirement date in mind?
I’m nearly done with cricket and we are nearly at the end of what has been an incredible and long journey. I’ve played a lot of cricket, travelled all around the world, played with and against many great players, played in some fantastic venues and have achieved a lot in my career, but I need to start giving more time to upcoming projects which are away from the cricket field. All good things come to an end and that end is not too far away.
I want to be remembered as……….
My father always said to me that what is more important than being a good cricketer is to be a good human being. We humans are weak, we make mistakes in life, but I believe that once you leave this planet and people remember you as a good person and they offer prayers for you, then you have been successful and achieved a lot during your life. I just want to be remembered as a good human being.
Shahid Afridi future Prime-Minister of Pakistan?
That chair that the Prime-Minister of Pakistan sits on looks very nice from a distance and I would like to keep it that way. Politics isn’t something that interests me. If I did get involved at some point in the future coaching cricket, it would be at the Under 16-level. I’d like to share my cricketing experiences and thoughts with the youngsters, talk to young cricketers about the pressures of cricket, speak to them about the outside pressures away from cricket which may affect them during their career. Otherwise, every day is a new day, every day is a beautiful day and I am not someone who plans too far into the future, as you never know what plans the Almighty has for you. So let’s wait and see what plans he has for me for the future.
Dreams of playing cricket professionally
When all you are doing in life at a young age is thinking about cricket and dreaming about cricket then that is most likely going to be your profession. I was constantly dreaming of playing cricket professionally and my dream and ambition was to play for Pakistan. When I achieved that dream of playing for my country, it was a wonderful experience, an experience that only those who have played cricket for their country can really understand. But hand on heart, I never thought I would play for Pakistan for so many years and be loved and appreciated by so many people around the world.
A lucky break
I never believed in short-cuts, it was always about hard work and being committed to cricket. The desire was to play cricket for my country and nobody or nothing was going to stop me from achieving that. You need a bit of luck in life to succeed and sometimes you need a lucky break and I got mine when in 1996 I was called-up to the Pakistan squad in Kenya when Mushtaq Ahmed was injured. I was on a tour of the Caribbean with the Pakistan Under-19 side and I was in good form and doing well and as a result of that I was called-up to join the senior side in Nairobi as a replacement for Mushtaq. And, as they say, the rest is history.
The career-changing knock
People forget that I was a bowler when I started to play cricket. I had entered cricket as a leg-spinner who would bat at number 8 or number 9 and I was quite happy with that role when expectations from me as a batsman were pretty low. Then when that miracle of an innings happened against Sri Lanka in Kenya, I had to re-vamp myself as a cricketer and prove myself as a batsman and to show everyone that the 37-ball century was not a fluke. That innings completely changed my outlook as a cricketer, expectations from me with the bat became so high and people expected me to play such innings every time I went out to bat. Pressure is always there in international cricket, but that innings increased the pressure greatly on me as I suddenly had to change my profile as a cricketer from a bowler to an all-rounder, which was not an easy challenge for me.
Toughest Opponent
That would have to be Brian Lara. I got him out a few times, but whenever I was bowling to him, I always had that feeling in the back of my mind that he is going to hit me for four the next ball. He had an effect on me, where I never bowled with any confidence to him. He was a world-class batsman who dominated the best spinners he came up against, even the likes of Muttiah Muralitharan in Sri Lanka. His footwork against spinners was brilliant and the way he batted against such bowlers was a wonderful sight. He was sheer class.
Sharing a dressing-room with heroes and legends
I was really lucky in that when I came into the Pakistan team it was blessed with so many big names and legends and heroes of mine like Waqar Younis, Wasim Akram and Inzamam-ul-Haq. These were cricketers who I used to watch and admire on television and at first it was a strange feeling to be sharing the dressing-room with these greats of the game. But over the course of time I started earning their respect which was a big deal for me. Back then, competition for places was really intense and for each place in the starting XI you had several other options waiting for a chance. It wasn’t just about performing though, you had to be liked by the senior players too which was something that I had to learn and at times overcome.
Most influential team-mate
Sometimes senior players don’t really want to mix or help young and upcoming cricketers, as they see them as a threat, but I was really lucky that Wasim Akram was around. He always supported me, and I learnt so much from Wasim about the game. To have played under his captaincy was something that really helped me throughout my career. I believe that Wasim Akram was a very big influence on me as a cricketer and his guidance and support will always be appreciated.
Most influential Coach
Bob Woolmer was a student of the game of cricket. He wasn’t one of those coaches who had played a lot of cricket at the highest level, but he was a cricket academic. Anybody can get coaching badges and qualifications, but for me it’s all about how you manage and handle cricketers. Any coach is great when you are winning and playing well, but Bob was someone who knew how to treat cricketers when they were down, when things weren’t going well and that to me, is the sign of a great coach. There were occasions when I would hit a boundary and then get out. What Bob Woolmer did was to talk about the boundary in glowing terms and not focus on the dismissal, he had the gift of being able to motivate any of his players. He was a fantastic man-manager and it’s no surprise that the performances of the Pakistan team and of individuals playing under him for Pakistan were very good when he was the Head Coach. It felt like we were a family, not a cricket team, when Bob was the Coach.
The Highs
Just playing for Pakistan was a high for me. So many people dream of playing for their country and never get that opportunity, but for me to have that honour for so long was a great achievement and something that I am so proud of. The 1999 World Cup was a great experience and being a part of that very strong Pakistan team was very enjoyable. It was a great tournament despite us losing the final at Lord’s. The 2009 Twenty20 World Cup win at Lord’s was also a wonderful time in my career and winning that tournament especially with the final being at Lord’s was a major milestone for me.
Tears and low points
There have been too many lows. Cricket makes you smile less, but it makes you cry much more. Cricketing politics at times within the dressing room, poor performances and when you are in a bad patch that also made me feel very down. Then there were the captains who tried their hardest to get rid of me from the team. There were some very tough times during my career, but I remained strong and I always had that self-belief. The support from my family was crucial and that really motivated me and helped me face adversity and challenges. My approach has always been to never fear failure and to always back yourself which is something that I did throughout my career.
Spot-fixing saga
Those days were horrendous for everyone involved in Pakistan cricket. It was an incredibly difficult time for the players who had to pick up the pieces on that tour of England. Wherever we went in England we were labelled as cheats, people were badmouthing us, and fingers were being pointed at all of the squad. They were horrible days, a time that brought shame to Pakistan and a time, which to this day, I have very bad feelings and memories of.
A film about your life?
Well the much-awaited autobiography came out and that was a success. At the moment I’ve no plans of making a film about my career, but if someone wants to make a film based on my autobiography then they can certainly give it a try, but it won't be easy.
Home comforts
Whether it’s your first international match or your hundredth, there is no feeling like playing in front of your own fans. I think people tend to overlook just what a huge advantage it is to play in front of your own fans and on your home surfaces. The return of international cricket to Pakistan has been a huge challenge for the PCB and its brilliant news that more and more teams are willing to tour Pakistan. Pakistan’s Armed Forces deserve a lot of praise for their work in providing touring teams with Presidential level security and I’m delighted that the return of international cricket to Pakistan is now almost complete. We Pakistanis are cricket-mad, and we have all really missed international cricket not being played on our homeland.
All Change at the PCB
The players I have spoken with who have taken part in domestic cricket this season have been satisfied with the changes undertaken by the Pakistan Cricket Board. It’s all about quality over quantity in the new set-up which is understandable. To move forward, sometimes you have to lose some things on the way and it’s unfortunate that some players have not had an opportunity to play in the new structure, but we have to look at the bigger picture and I believe that the new system will provide Pakistan with quality cricketers in future. We have to be patient regarding the new structure and give it time, give it 2 years or maybe 3 years before forming an opinion. One thing we should do is to not keep changing the structure every year as that will only have a negative impact.
Charity work
The Shahid Afridi Foundation is doing very well, and I am grateful to the Almighty that he has given me the strength to embark on this venture. I started this journey with the Foundation as my country and my people have given me a lot and I wanted to give something back to them. It is now time to pay back my country and my aim is to provide education, health facilities and amenities such as running water to remote areas of Pakistan. Those of us who live in comfort forget about the daily struggles of others and I wanted to do my bit for my country and for those people in Pakistan who are struggling. It gives me a lot of satisfaction to see my Foundation help and support those struggling in remote areas. We now have 14 schools and 2 hospitals, and we have a number of other projects on the way. My charity work is very dear to me and very close to my heart.
Retirement date in mind?
I’m nearly done with cricket and we are nearly at the end of what has been an incredible and long journey. I’ve played a lot of cricket, travelled all around the world, played with and against many great players, played in some fantastic venues and have achieved a lot in my career, but I need to start giving more time to upcoming projects which are away from the cricket field. All good things come to an end and that end is not too far away.
I want to be remembered as……….
My father always said to me that what is more important than being a good cricketer is to be a good human being. We humans are weak, we make mistakes in life, but I believe that once you leave this planet and people remember you as a good person and they offer prayers for you, then you have been successful and achieved a lot during your life. I just want to be remembered as a good human being.
Shahid Afridi future Prime-Minister of Pakistan?
That chair that the Prime-Minister of Pakistan sits on looks very nice from a distance and I would like to keep it that way. Politics isn’t something that interests me. If I did get involved at some point in the future coaching cricket, it would be at the Under 16-level. I’d like to share my cricketing experiences and thoughts with the youngsters, talk to young cricketers about the pressures of cricket, speak to them about the outside pressures away from cricket which may affect them during their career. Otherwise, every day is a new day, every day is a beautiful day and I am not someone who plans too far into the future, as you never know what plans the Almighty has for you. So let’s wait and see what plans he has for me for the future.
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