Afridi body language has been horrible in the entire series

[Savak]

Afridi made it clear he wasnt interested in touring the WI after the WC exit and only changed his decision at the last minute. On the entire tour he just looked so lethargic, disinterested, demotivated and lacked the energy, aggression that he showed so wonderfully in the WC.

In the field his shoulders, head went down every time in the face of obstacles. He never went up to encourage the bowlers as he was doing in the WC. As a bowler he never once looked to create pressure and take wickets, in the WC he was looking to take wickets with the ball.

Less said about the batting the better. But i certainly expected a lot better from our captain at least from the captaincy and inspiration point of view. Thats why i am concerned at the fact we are going to be facing lowly ranked sides in the next couple of series especially if Afridi's energy in the field and as a captain depends on the quality of the opposition he is up against

[sam]

He was just tired.

[insaftak]

He was on holidays and holidays have ended. Now he is going back to work at home.

[miandadrules]

Originally Posted by Savak Afridi made it clear he wasnt interested in touring the WI after the WC exit and only changed his decision at the last minute. On the entire tour he just looked so lethargic, disinterested, demotivated and lacked the energy, aggression that he showed so wonderfully in the WC. In the field his shoulders, head went down every time in the face of obstacles. He never went up to encourage the bowlers as he was doing in the WC. As a bowler he never once looked to create pressure and take wickets, in the WC he was looking to take wickets with the ball. Less said about the batting the better. But i certainly expected a lot better from our captain at least from the captaincy and inspiration point of view. Thats why i am concerned at the fact we are going to be facing lowly ranked sides in the next couple of series especially if Afridi's energy in the field and as a captain depends on the quality of the opposition he is up against

That is always going to be the case with someone who relies on inspiration rather than tactical nous, with regards to captaincy. Unless you are a truly great player, say like a Viv Richards, it is just too difficult to sustain.

Players like Afridi will inspire in short bursts but in the long haul it is just too draining. Ideally, during periods of physical lethargy, he would fall back on tactical know-how but that is one area where he is lacking.

I wouldn't worry too much though, I think the rest during the tests will recharge his batteries. I also feel he might use the upcoming series against weaker teams to work on his batting.

[kkmix]

Yup I agree, he didn't seem to care much about this series. He should have just rested instead, but I guess he was scared someone else captaining and doing it better than him and giving him competition.

[insaaniyat]

Title should be changed to "Afridi has been horrible in his entire career"

[Hando]

He didn't want to go in the first place

[sam]

Originally Posted by insaaniyat Title should be changed to "Afridi has been horrible in his entire career"

Such an unbiased post. Actually, it is THE most unbiased post made in the history of PP.

[MO]

If Afridi continues to show such attitude he will not only lose captaincy but also his position in the side.....Hafeez is fast becoming our best player and will be a great choice as future captain....Its time to look forward and build a new team and unfortunately Afridi doesn't have the mindset for this job....

He did a good job to motivate and regroup our team at a difficult time but I think his motivation after the WC has been questionable ....The semifinal loss has sucked the life out of him and I don't think he has anything to look forward to (atleast on the cricket field)....He will not be a part of our plans for WC15......I half expect him to move aside himself like the way he did in Tests.....

[Amjid Javed]

He will get some rest now and maybe be bale to grow a brain cell by the time he gets to play next.

[BoomBoomCricket]

Afridi did nothing on this tour with either ball, bat or captaincy. Sheer mediocrity. He has gone wicketless for 6/7 games in a row.

Afridi should drop himself from the team in all seriousness. More worthwhile options available & his captaincy is pretty poor for international standards & for a side like Pakistan.

[sam]

Originally Posted by BoomBoomCricket Afridi did nothing on this tour with either ball, bat or captaincy. Sheer mediocrity. He has gone wicektless for 6/7 games in a row. Afridi should drop himself from the team in all seriousness. More worthwhile options available & his captaincy is pretty poor for international standards & for a side like Pakistan.

He got 2 wickets. Should have gotten some more if not for glaring umpiring errors and dropped catches.

Also, bowled at a good economy rate in most games.

[ShahidMM]

I watched Afridi very closely in Bridgetown. You could easily tell he did not want to be there.

For example before the start of the 3rd ODI when we had delayed start, as soon as umpires announced the starting time, both team came out on the field to warm up. Guess who was the last one to come out of the dressing room for the warm up and stretching exercises? If that was not enough, he was the first one from Pakistan team to leave the ground and go back into dressing room.

Another feeling I got from Afridi's attitude was that it is impossible for him to get out his "super star" syndrome which he is no doubt but he is yet to learn that once 11 players cross the rope, everybody is expected to perform equally!

I believe that during World Cup he has realized that he is not a captaincy material even in one day internationals. He is absolutely not a thinker or a planner. So I would not be surprised if Hafeez (or Misbah) takes over the One Day and T20 captaincy very soon.

In my opinion Hafeez will be a great captain. He has a vast experience of leading domestic sides and doing well with average players from Faisalabad.

This trip to West Indies has made me a huge fan of Hafeez. I hope, he ends up leading the team soon so that our team can get out of the gutter it is in.

[liaqat]

It was his bowling he got 2 wickets in the 5 matches played, When he gets wickets that whn afridi's powered up, Hid batting is gettin worse everyday. personally he shud bat at number 8 or number 1..

and as for ahmed shehzad well its time to give the kid a boot for some tme

[babu]

Originally Posted by kkmix Yup I agree, he didn't seem to care much about this series. He should have just rested instead, but I guess he was scared someone else captaining and doing it better than him and giving him competition.

[Markhor]

Didn't you know we are on holiday.

Hope Afridi enjoys the beach in Guyana and the jerk chicken.

[sam]

Some very busy time for Afridi haters on PP. Must be super charged after the "rest" they had during the WC.

[Sherlock]

Concentrating on today's game, it seems like the whole of "Team Pakistan" was on a holiday. The body language was appalling.

[enigmatic_stani]

Utter crap. How about the WC and his over the top celebrations? He still had the batting prowess of Courtney Walsh.

[liaqat]

we must also remember afridi hasn't really had any rest after the worldcup.. its been interview's after interview's with various tv channels etc etc,,

All in all the series was won so he can go back 2 pak knowing they didn't lose the series

[sam]

Said this another thread and I say it again:

Once the series was in the bag, Waqar and Misbah wanted everyone to get some match practice before the test series. Why else would this happen:

1. Taufeeq being brought in to open when both Shehzad and Hafeez had gotten centuries this series
   
2. Tanveer gets picked to give Wahab some rest

[the SHA]

Yup. Didnt wanna be there.

[Zohaib Shah]

Yea I agree with you Savak . His Body Language never really looked as thou it was part of the game. Afridi is usually the inspirational enthusiastic guy. He Puts a smile on the face of people who watch him because hes so into the game that you can tell and feel excited. His Celebrations only indicate how much he loves his country and the game of cricket. I dont get why so many people criticize him for that. During this series I dearly missed the enthusiastic Afridi and Gulldozer Umar Gul. Because these guys for me make the Team a Pakpassion.

[saeed-sohail]

Clueless.

[Theo_14]

If you compare his body language and the charisma to the one we saw consistently during the World cup then it's more then clear that Afridi's body language has gone down the hill.

It's as if we're watching Afridi except he's lacking the interest or I dare to say... Passion towards the game - it's clear he doesn't want to be out there - we can't criticise him for that because we don't know what the reason is.

Whatever the reason is... It needs to come out - it's as if he's suffering out there.

[AmmarAshraf]

Yes it was good holiday trip

[Ahsan_8]

I dont think hafeez would take the captaincy now if offered to him . He would side with afridi , no one would want to take on LALA's Army and ofcourse Hafeez is a good friend of afridi .

[PB]

He didn't wanna be there..Obviously one can't be somewhere where he doesn't want to be and be all happy

[siccric]

Yep, he lacked the energy which he had during the World Cup. Could be because of the extremely unrelenting schedule we have had over the past while. Let's hope this short break works well for him.

[Inswinger]

I may be mistaken but didn't he say they were on a holiday at the toss before the first match?

[WNC]

Originally Posted by Theo_14 Whatever the reason is... It needs to come out - it's as if he's suffering out there.

Don't think we need to dig too deep in that, he didn't want to go there in the first place. Most of us thought this is a low key series, maybe he did too and he wanted to take a rest. But he changed his mind for whatever reason. Then fast forward 3 ODIs, series won, whatever little interest he had seemed lost. Same can be said for the fielders.

[NO 1 AFRIDI FAN]

I think it was just that he was tired, afterall he has had a hectic couple of months. I did miss the charismatic Afridi, and when he used to walk upto the bowler ever so often. Not to mention his starman celebration! The WC has drained alot out of him, and especially the loss against India.

He will get a rest during when the tests are plwyed, just hope he gets back to the normal Afridi for the other tours. Also having our other star ppayers missing made the series alot more boring like Umar Gul.

[BoomBoomCricket]

Originally Posted by NO 1 AFRIDI FAN I think it was just that he was tired, afterall he has had a hectic couple of months. I did miss the charismatic Afridi, and when he used to walk upto the bowler ever so often. Not to mention his starman celebration! The WC has drained alot out of him, and especially the loss against India. He will get a rest during when the tests are plwyed, just hope he gets back to the normal Afridi for the other tours. Also having our other star ppayers missing made the series alot more boring like Umar Gul.

Stop making lame excuses. He was disgracefully poor during this series. The usual Afridi is a crowd favourite clueless operator with the brains of a 6 year old nursery kid.

[NO 1 AFRIDI FAN]

How am I making excuses? It was evident. He wasnt as energetic as he normally does be, what else could be the reason then?

[kkmix]

Originally Posted by NO 1 AFRIDI FAN I think it was just that he was tired, afterall he has had a hectic couple of months. I did miss the charismatic Afridi, and when he used to walk upto the bowler ever so often. Not to mention his starman celebration! The WC has drained alot out of him, and especially the loss against India. He will get a rest during when the tests are plwyed, just hope he gets back to the normal Afridi for the other tours. Also having our other star ppayers missing made the series alot more boring like Umar Gul.

yeah all the other guys were tired too ...cmon afridi fan, just admit he didn't wanna be there...I am an afridi fan too but I admit he wasn't involved.

[zaid65]

Originally Posted by ShahidMM I watched Afridi very closely in Bridgetown. You could easily tell he did not want to be there. For example before the start of the 3rd ODI when we had delayed start, as soon as umpires announced the starting time, both team came out on the field to warm up. Guess who was the last one to come out of the dressing room for the warm up and stretching exercises? If that was not enough, he was the first one from Pakistan team to leave the ground and go back into dressing room. Another feeling I got from Afridi's attitude was that it is impossible for him to get out his "super star" syndrome which he is no doubt but he is yet to learn that once 11 players cross the rope, everybody is expected to perform equally! I believe that during World Cup he has realized that he is not a captaincy material even in one day internationals. He is absolutely not a thinker or a planner. So I would not be surprised if Hafeez (or Misbah) takes over the One Day and T20 captaincy very soon. In my opinion Hafeez will be a great captain. He has a vast experience of leading domestic sides and doing well with average players from Faisalabad. This trip to West Indies has made me a huge fan of Hafeez. I hope, he ends up leading the team soon so that our team can get out of the gutter it is in.

I am so happy more and more people started to realize about Afridi as a garbage player, which I predicted and noticed long time.

I have also predicted about Hafeez as a captain, people were laughing, how accurate I was in my analysis!!

[zaid65]

Originally Posted by Hando He didn't want to go in the first place

If he did not want to go to the WI, but nobody put the gun on his head. The only reason he went to the WI, he did not want anybody else to become a part time captain and if part time captain would be able to show better performance, his captaincy would under lot of pressure and eventually might loose the captain which he was dying for ages and for that he played all the sneaky games.

One more reason for this tour for him, he thought of grabbing some cheap wickets against 3rd rate WI ( typical of his bowling stats) and put some runs under the belt to prove his die hard fans that he is genuine all rounder. ( All rounder my foot!!)

[IgnitedMind]

IF Afridi is tired, I wonder what dhoni must be!!! WC final, IPL, England !! and he was busy before WC too..I dont remember dhoni not being busy in the last couple of years!!

[jzdanish]

LOL.. this is just silly. The guy captained you to a series win, semi final in the WC and he gets such a response? No wonder pakistani fans are the most messed up ones in the entire world.. they just cant get satisfied. Just cut the crap savak.. seriously.

[ShahidMM]

Originally Posted by NO 1 AFRIDI FAN I think it was just that he was tired, afterall he has had a hectic couple of months.

Well, he can not be more tired than the whole Indian team. They have had much more hectic schedule than Pakistan. Since October 1st, 2010 India has played only 5 less matches than Pakistan but have been playing and traveling like nobody in IPL since the end of the World Cup.

http://stats.espncricinfo.com/ci/eng...ults;type=team

Even if you just look at Pakistan team, nobody should be more tired than Hafeez who has been scoring more runs than Afridi and bowling as much as Afridi if not more.

Not only that, Afridi is the most fit and muscular in Pakistan team right now. In Bridgetown I saw the whole team from 10-15 feet and trust me, the last person to get tired on that team should be Afridi.

[jzdanish]

It amuses me that during the world cup, everyone was blaming him for being to energetic.. always running up to the bowlers etc etc and now this? Hilarious.. really hilarious.

[Down2Earth]

he's a finished cricketer, being captain is the only thing keeping him in the team. And that must change soon.

[Free Hit]

^oh really? he has won you two ODi series, took you to T20 semi final in a WC after 12 years. has put life in medicor players to perform for the sake of pakistan and not mazhar majeed.

If afridi wsnt the captain for past year in ODIs, this Pakistan side would have been nail in coffin the day butt and aamer got caught.

Say thanks to the saviour of your country, he isnt a finished cricketer, he is writing a new chapter.

[Fireworks11]

He just didn't look like the same guy since he arrived in WI.

[Free Hit]

its the food maybe. he won us the series, that all matters.

[kingusama92]

There are certain aspects of his cricket (aka inspirational leadership) that no one's ever pleased with. There was a period during the World Cup campaign where Shahid Afridi was supposedly showing "too much energy" in the field. There were accusations from all corners that he was "trying to hard" and should ease off. The same was said to YK when he used to smile. Guess what's happening to Afridi now? He's being accused of NOT showing enough energy. Gotta feel for him, no one is ever happy!

As far as his lack of interest in this series, he REALLY didn't want to be there! This was the risk the PCB (selectors) and coach were willing to take by basically begging him to come along. It was almost obvious that he wasn't going to be 100% in the enthusiasm side of things. This by no means should suggest that Afridi isn't trying, it's just that I don't think he's got much in the tank to fuel his normally high-powered way of playing. The type of approach fans expect him to have.

I think the fact he saw other senior players getting rest (Umar Gul, Younus Khan) might have led to further lack of enthusiasm. These are not excuses for his performances, but they do provide a different angle to this whole thing.

Anyway, I am not a Shahid Afridi fan. I will not defend the aspects of his game that have been downright poor in this series. His batting has once again been utterly mediocre (I am being kind) and his bowling could have been better. Those things should be rightfully criticized, but his lack of enthusiasm could be down to a lot of factors.

The last two games were probably a whole MIX of things. Shahid Afridi and the team realized they had the series in the bag. The team management decided to throw in youngsters and have complete disregard for team chemistry OR balance. There was nothing wrong with this because the entire purpose of this series was to provide opportunities for the youngsters. The fact he wasn't even getting to play a full strength team MIGHT have hurt his enthusiasm even further.

Once again a professional athlete should NOT be having any excuses for lack of interest. However, there are times where the lack of interest makes more sense then it would otherwise.

[ShahidMM]

Originally Posted by Free Hit its the food maybe. he won us the series, that all matters.

Food? That is a strange excuse. I was in Bridgetown for a week. There was no issue as far as the food is concerned. A Muslims family of Sub-Continent origin was making halal food at home and supplying to the players at their hotel most of the times.

There was halal Pakistan/Indian restaurant called "Roti Hut" at about 5 minute walk from their hotel and players ate there a few times also.

I tried food from both sources and it was absolutely fine.

[insaaniyat]

Originally Posted by Down2Earth he's a finished cricketer, being captain is the only thing keeping him in the team. And that must change soon.

You are spot on

[osee_bhai]

He is like 40 years old, not the most fit either
Give the poor chap a break

[akamaka]

Originally Posted by ShahidMM Food? That is a strange excuse. I was in Bridgetown for a week. There was no issue as far as the food is concerned. A Muslims family of Sub-Continent origin was making halal food at home and supplying to the players at their hotel most of the times. There was halal Pakistan/Indian restaurant called "Roti Hut" at about 5 minute walk from their hotel and players ate there a few times also. I tried food from both sources and it was absolutely fine.

Bro im pretty sure he was joking.



Also, agree. He wasnt himself, not very good to see at all. Was quite angry actually.

[Prince_Pathan]

yeah i agree

hes looked mad & disintestred the entire time...something isnt right



could the indian media have sucked the life out of him or does he not care?

[Zamee]

Calm down whiners!! He has won us the series.
;)

[12cavalry]

Originally Posted by Zamee Calm down whiners!! He has won us the series. ;)

big whoop.
How much did he contribute btw?

[ShahidMM]

Originally Posted by akamaka Bro im pretty sure he was joking. .

Most of the lame excuses from Afridi fan are a joke therefore it is hard to tell when they are joking or when they are serious.

[Zamee]

Originally Posted by 12cavalry big whoop. How much did he contribute btw?

He is the captain so all the strategies and planning was done and applied by him and the team managment

[12cavalry]

Originally Posted by Zamee He is the captain so all the strategies and planning was done and applied by him and the team managment

Afridi and planning

[hersheybud]

He won the WI series. Period.

[miandadrules]

Originally Posted by hersheybud He won the WI series. Period.

But dropped points in the rankings.

[sam]

There was no halal meat available in WI. No goats to skin.

[gameovais]

Originally Posted by Prince_Pathan could the indian media have sucked the life out of him

So the Indians are to blame?

[ace4rmspace]

Agree with OP, Afridi looked fed up and as if he didn't want to be there.

[dhonikachamcha]

Originally Posted by Zamee Calm down whiners!! He has won us the series. ;)

There was never a doubt dat pakistan would win this series, only question was how convincing it would be.

[Zamee]

Originally Posted by dhonikachamcha There was never a doubt dat pakistan would win this series, only question was how convincing it would be.

We won it 3-0 !! Dead rubbers dont mean anything!!

[dhonikachamcha]

Originally Posted by Zamee We won it 3-0 !! Dead rubbers dont mean anything!!

[shahidafridi123]

Afridi perhaps got too over-confident after a good WC. I mean if Bangladesh can beat New Zealand 4-0 then I think Pakistan can beat West Indies at least 4-1!!!!!

[Zamee]

Originally Posted by shahidafridi123 Afridi perhaps got too over-confident after a good WC. I mean if Bangladesh can beat New Zealand 4-0 then I think Pakistan can beat West Indies at least 4-1!!!!!

in there backyard!!

[hersheybud]

Why are you people discussing his body language after 5 matches? why wasnt it brought up after the first 3 wins? its just ridiculous- it seems that people must find a topic to discuss afridi!

[Prince_Pathan]

gameovais be quiet man i just asked a question

i didnt blame anybody

pleasant to see you on an anti afridi thread! yet again

[BoomBoomCricket]

Originally Posted by sam He got 2 wickets. Should have gotten some more if not for glaring umpiring errors and dropped catches. Also, bowled at a good economy rate in most games.

I should have re-phrased myself clearer: He has gone wicket less for 6 out of the last 7 international LO matches he has played in.

[SOSami]

Afridi has never been good at hiding his emotions on a cricket pitch. When under pressure he bites his nails and shouts at people. When he's happy the whole team tends to be happy.

Maybe they should have tried another captain for the final two ODIs. It wouldn't have been the end of the world and the WC was only a few weeks ago so he probably is a little jaded.

[ShahidMM]

The recent events explain Afridi's body language in West Indies very well. I am sure he saw the writing on the wall and knew what was going to happen after the tour.