Wednesday 9 April 2014

Shahid Afridi has become a cult

The sub-continent countries are developing economies with lots of emphasis on the future growth and the plans to combat daily struggles. The people living in these countries are so bound by the problems that they engaged themselves in different things, which could provide them solace. Cricket is not only the game in some of the Asian countries but it is a medium to fight with the struggles of the life. The cricketers are often labeled as the messiah's who have the power to heal all the worries. It was Sachin Tendulkar in the beginning for India while the baton has now been passed to MS Dhoni and Virat Kohli. The same could be said about Pakistan. Pakistan is a small country which is located on the Asian continent. The place has been marred by continuous power struggle between political parties and the army. The anti national elements have always created problems in Pakistan, which has led to never ending bloodshed. The common masses of this country have always indulged their mind in the game of cricket in order to find peace. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan and many more have enjoyed celebrity status because of being the cricketers. After the retirement of the greats, the country has developed a special liking for the dynamic Shahid Afridi.

His failures haven't been taken seriously by the people of Pakistan. I still remembered what Wasim Akram had to say after Afridi threw his wicket away against Afghanistan in the Asia Cup. The former Pakistan player was furious and lambasted Afridi for his poor approach at a time when his team was in dire straits against the minnows of world cricket. According to Akram, it was sad to see a cricketer playing reckless shot after spending 17 years in cricket. However, the criticism was transformed into love when the same player played two match winning knocks against arch rivals India and Bangladesh. The same man who was after him went on record to say that he has forgiven all his mistakes. His couldn't perform in the T20 World Cup in Bangladesh but there is hardly anyone who is after his head. This is how Pakistanis are, no matter what is their status. Afridi had the luxury which no cricketer have ever enjoyed in Pakistan despite achieving super star status. He walked into the team which allowed him to be himself without any concern of low scores. The fans got so attached to his name that there was no one, who talked about the need of correcting his rash game. I know Afridi has failed a lot in his international career but people are so obsessed with him that they feel he can perform in the next game. Afridi has become the living dream of a country which is struggling to stand on its feet. Pakistan is a place, which believes in messiahs and Afridi is certainly one of them. It is for this reason Afridi will play as long as he wants to play.

The right hand batsman has become the hope of the masses, who look upto him every time they are buried under the hardships. The citizens of Pakistan love Afridi because he has given them numerous reasons to express their happiness. From his breathtaking knocks to match winning bowling spells, Afridi's performances have been taken hand to hand. The common man is not interested in his records or statistics but the number of good moments he has given them. Boom Boom is the word which we usually take to define his brand of batting. His fans still considers him as the one who can win matches from any situation. He has played only 27 Tests because he has never enjoyed this format. Isn't that funny? He has stated in one of his interviews that he was not made for the longest format of the game. Afridi has so far played 377 ODI matches but only has 7,619 runs at an average of 23.44, which undermine his talent. One wonders as why he is not able to score regularly. The problem has been the lack of temperament and patience. He hardly believes in building his innings through one or two's. The moment he arrives at the crease, his hunger for boundaries starts creping in, which ultimately leads to his premature downfall. His career would have ended in countries where people demand consistent performances from their national heroes. There is no alternative for the below par scores but situation is completely different in Pakistan. He has become the expectation of the country and there is no way of killing or burying expectations. I know he won't change his style of batting but all he can to do is to calm himself down in order to extend his stay at the crease.

This will help him in scoring more runs for his team, which his important from the prospect of winning any game. This is the only way left for him to repay the trust and the time people have invested in watching his performance over the last two decades. When this unique talent finally decides to call time on his long international career, he would leave behind a legacy, full of love, respect and trust from his followers.



cricket today magazine is a Expert Writer Of Cricket Match, crictoday india and also write Present Running series india versus new zealand series future match in t20 Wc banladesh and more about cricket new,update,records etc.

Follow me On Social Plugging- https://plus.Google.com/b/105739714270029777766/105739714270029777766/posts

Website-http://www.crictoday.com/

Resource by-http://goarticles.com/article/Shahid-Afridi-Has-Become-a-Cult/8760667/
Submitted By-Cricket Today Magazine

No comments:

Post a Comment