Shahid Afridi: Pakistan Cricket's only superstar
There are certain names that fill stadiums, grab all the headlines and have fans and neutrals alike the world over, who stop what they’re doing and switch on their televisions. Those names belong to players, who have worked their way, to superstar status.
In the past people would rush to catch a glimpse of Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Vivian Richards, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kapil-Dev-c70234, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, even if they were on the opposing team. Fans of the game remember them even to this very day.
In the modern game there are plenty of superstars as well. The explosive rebel, Chris Gayle, the Australian pair of, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Virender-Sehwag-c95429.
Yet Pakistan, once renowned for having an abundance of superstars, seems to have fallen behind. http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Inzamam-ul-Haq-c64383 – the list of past superstars goes on and on, but how many can one name in the present Pakistan squad?
Would people go or even bother changing the channel to watch Mohammad Hafeez? Or maybe watch http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Asad-Shafiq-c46208? Even the more well known names fail to raise excitement levels.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Misbah-ul-Haq-c1972, makes his way to the crease.
Yes, there is Pakistan’s wicket keeper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Kamran-Akmal-c70122, though the player is famous for the wrong reasons. Dropped catches and missed chances do not bring the type of attention one wishes.
Contrast that with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 batsman, Chris Gayle, and his recent demolition of opposition bowlers in the Indian Premier League. Whether one was a fan or not, the cricketing world would stop and proceed to watch the batsman. Why? Because he was exciting, because he was special and most importantly because he gave the fans what they wanted to see.
Long gone are the days Shoaib Akhtar would storm in to bowl deliveries that flew at the batsmen at over 140 kilometres per hour, or when Wasim Akram would create unreal swing.
The only name that still gets fans interested in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 cricket is their talismanic One Day International captain, Shahid Khan Afridi. His exploits in the recently concluded ICC World Cup was the pinnacle in his, how to put this, exhilarating professional career.
Scoring the fastest century in cricketing history on his debut, Afridi never compromised on his attacking batting, be it for better or for worse. It made him a household name not only in Pakistan but anywhere the game of cricket was played.
Afridi’s aggression, ability to turn games on its head earlier with the bat and more recently with the ball, have not only propelled him to international stardom but also has fans pause just for a second to check if Afridi is on the crease or not.
In Pakistan, when Afridi gets dismissed so does 25% of the crowd. It is not all doom and gloom though, as the Cornered Tigers are producing two more potential superstars, Wahab Riaz, and, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595.
Akmal unlike his brother is an exciting prospect, while the verdict on Wahab is still out after limited performances for the side.
Yet if anyone was asked to make a fantasy team consisting of the best players in the world, one can safely say that http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 would be the only Pakistan player on the roster and that is why he is Pakistan’s only superstar.
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