I am not perfect and I do have my limitations’ - AFRIDI INTERVIEW

The burden of being Shahid Afridi is really a heavy one. Nagraj Gollapudi conducted an interview with Pakistan’s hard-hitting star, who is ruled out of Pakistan’s first two matches at World Cup 2007, as he’s undergoing a four-match ban imposed on him by the ICC. Gollapudi asked him: How has modern-day batting changed? The most important change is to become more selective in your shots and not take too many chances and if you stick around it becomes a big problem for the bowlers. Cricket has changed a lot, as earlier teams would be happy with 270 or 280, but now it has peaked past the 300-run mark. So the batting has become more fast and the batsmen are more positive and have become more aggressive.

Is it difficult for you to then adjust to be more patient?

Not actually. Batsmen like myself, [Virender] Sehwag, [Adam] Gilchrist, [Sanath] Jayasuriya, [Nathan] Astle, play our own way and if we click then on our day we can beat any team and can make big runs.

Have you ever gone in to bat keeping the record in mind?

When I made the fastest ODI century I never went in with the mindset of making a world record. You don’t plan for a world record, it just happens if it is your fate.



Which is the best one-day innings you’ve played?

The century against India in Kanpur in 2004-05 series (102 off 45 balls). It was a crucial game in the six-game rubber, with the teams level at two-all. We had got out India for an average score, but it was a difficult wicket to bat on and the shots weren’t coming easily. But I started middling the ball and I got the confidence to capitalise on all bowlers and since I made the runs when they were needed, that innings was more important [than the others].



How much of your batting is premeditated?

Sometimes it does happen when I plan to hit a ball to a particular area, which is wrong, and could be a sign of overconfidence as the ball might not actually pitch in that spot you expect it to. But sometimes if I decide to hit a particular ball to three different areas instead of one, in a pre-planned fashion, it does work, but I have got out often when I play premeditated.

You have said in the past that when you walk in, your plan is to stick around for five to six overs before you do anything, but when the bowler starts running in something clicks in your head and you want to belt. How come this sudden change in the mind?

That happens, and one reason is the crowd has expectations from you and wants you to hit fours and sixes. When I am in the dressing-room, I tell myself that I will go and be patient for the initial few overs, but as soon as I cross the boundary ropes and walk in, and I hear the noise and the screams of the fans, it makes me nervous and puts me under pressure, especially in the subcontinent.

You have this restlessness in everything about you. Is that correct?

It is my nature. A Pathan is a hot-blooded creature, who always wants things to be done quickly. Sometimes it does back-fire as the mind doesn’t think too much when in a hurry. I am not perfect and I do have my limitations.



Talking about expectations, was scoring the fastest ODI hundred a boon or a bane?

Around the time I cracked the fastest ton, I was more of a bowler who batted lower down the order. When I broke the world record I had to change myself into a batsman, and obviously if you haven’t done something and you suddenly start doing it, it is different. Wherever I went well-wishers, fans, players were saying that I should continue playing the way I did during the record as it is very nice to see me hitting fours and sixes. And when you hear all that at a young age and it gets into your psyche, it becomes difficult to change that style.



So is it a burden?

When you are not performing, like I haven’t of late, the pressure increases. And whenever things are clicking it becomes fun and I don’t take any pressure against any opposition or bowler. Yes, at times, I become overconfident and don’t give the respect the bowler deserves.



Are you a volatile personality?

Yes, and it is a weak point. If I hear something wrong I just give it back without much thought.



You are no more a fixture on the Pakistan team roster. How do you take sitting out?

I am very hurt. The respect I need to get I don’t get: either they take me out completely or keep me in for a while. Even if I am not performing they don’t think of retaining me in the squad of 15 so that I can be around practising with the team and help me keep his focus that can help me on my return. Being a senior player it does hurt and sometimes I feel like leaving the game completely and I don’t care for anyone.



Who are the people in the team who have been able to get the best out of you?

The times are such that you don’t know who your friend is and who your enemy is. The captain and coach are my backers so that keeps me going.



Your batting position has never been stable. That must be a problem?

That is the root of the problem. They have never given me a proper batting position and even I don’t know on the eve of the game which position I would be batting the next day. If I’m batting as No. 6 and suddenly you ask me to open then I need to face the new ball to get used to it, but that is very difficult to adjust on different wickets. Personally, I would like to open in the subcontinent and bat at No. 6 in other countries.



Which are the batsmen you’ve enjoyed watching?

I like to watch Sehwag: he can make or break things within moments. [Mahendra Singh] Dhoni’s open style of batting is attractive. Then there is [Brian] Lara, [Sachin] Tendulkar, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Gilchirst - players who play in an open way.



Your best moment?

The Test series against India in India in 2004-05 where we came from behind to draw and then to win the one-day series, which was our gift to our President Pervez Musharraf.



And the worst?

Losing the World Cup in 1999 against Australia. We had a very good team, led by Wasim Akram, but to lose in such a one-sided fashion was a miserable feeling which I can never forget.

James Bond must be a Pathan too, I guess that's how he got his license to kill. He is trying to follow Shoaib, the big mouth. His end won't be very different either, unfortunately.

How?

Thats it lad - throw your toys out of the pram every time you are dropped for non-performing or getting yourself banned (twice) through no fault of your own...

His brain doesn't work...management's fault...he was born as a Pathan...PCB's fault...the guy gets himself banned....who's fault? you guessed it right...team management's fault. He wants to be in 15 member team at any cost..what's the fault of the guy who is sacrificed for his sake?... only Afridi knows!
I cannot imagine that somebody so childish and immature has played 237 one days. He wouldn't have played even 37 matches had he been an Australian or South African, I can bet on it.

top interview - hot blooded creature

and bit of mindless

I just read the first answer and some here may say the samething

270-280 will still win you more than half the matches and get you close to the 300 mark to make it a close match. If I was to guess the average scores of all the matches played in the last 3 months it would be about 250

Nothing more I would like than to see an Afridi whirlwind century this tournament.

respect? respect for what? respect for not being able to control himself? respect for not being able to stick the team's gameplan? respect for getting out in the stupidest and most predictable manner time after time after time? respect for being still a mindless slogger despite 10+ years of international cricket and hundreds of ODI caps?

he doesn't have anything about him that makes him a senior player. in terms of cricket IQ, he is probably one of the most junior players on the team.



shabaash. you're about to play the world cup which is all about team spirit. go and slate your team mates in front of the media. that'll do wonders for the team unity and spirit. is this what you call a senior player?



what a whiner and what amazingly stupid answers.

he has been given A slot many times. sure he wasn't given 50 games to prove himself at the given slot but who gets 50 games at the top level at the same position anyway? simple fact is that he was given the number 5 spot where he failed to deliver repeatedly. it is also worth noting that maybe Mr. Afridi needs to be reminded that cricket is not an individual sport. it is a team game and the team comes before anything. if they ask you to open, you open. if they ask you to go at 6, you go at 6. all good players have flexibility. guys like Malik don't whine - they just shut up and perform no matter where you send them.

I just hope that if there is a post-world cup cleanup, Afridi gets picked up in that. I really hope guys like Inzi, Razzaq, Afridi and Akhtar are told to pack up and leave after the world cup. enough is enough. one of them wants to take the captaincy into his grave, the second one can't be bothered to put in any effort unless his place is on the line, the third one demands respect like he is Bradman despite being one of the stupidest and luckiest professional sportsman ever. and finally, the last one just can't get enough of himself and drugs and is quite possibly the most chichora and low class person to have represented Pakistan in any field ever.

the PCB should introduce minimum education standards that all cricketers must pass. education might not make everyone as suave, intelligent and classy as Imran but chances are pretty high that you will have some hint of class about you and an IQ that is not in single digits. compared to some players in this team, that would be a gigantic leap forward.

not a very professional attitude....but hey..at least he's a colourful character...

intresting lol ..................... u cant change the man only improve him intresting about the bit when he says wen im left out i wanna leave the team ............. they should take more care of mr boom boom

I also enjoy his style so I'll back that just as long as it isn't against SA.