Shahid Afridi
Name: Shahid Afridi
Born: 1 March 1980, Khyber Agency
Teams Represented: Karachi Cricket Association, Habib Bank Limited, Leicestershire, Pakistan
Bat Style: Right Hand
Bowl Style: Right Arm Leg Spin
Test Debut: Pak v Aus at Karachi, 3rd Test, 1998-99
ODI Debut: Pak v Ken at Nairobi, KCA Centenary Tournament, 1996-97
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi was born on 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan, popularly known as Shahid Afridi, is a Pakistani cricketer and current One Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 captain of the Pakistani national team in the international circuit. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia.Afridi is from the Afridi tribe of the Khyber Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and hails from a Pashtun family. He is married and has two daughters, Aqsa and Ansha.He is known for his aggressive batting style, and holds the record for the fastest ODI century which he made in his first international innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI. He also holds the distinction of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket. Afridi considers himself a better bowler than batsman, and has taken 48 Test wickets and over 300 in ODIs. Currently Afridi is the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 41 matches.In June 2009 Afridi took over the Twenty20 captaincy from Younus Khan, and was later appointed ODI captain for the 2010 Asia Cup. In his first match as ODI captain against Sri Lanka he scored a century however Pakistan still lost by 16 runs. He then also took over the Test captaincy but resigned after one match in charge citing lack of form and ability to play Test cricket; at the same time he announced his retirement from Tests. He retained the captaincy in limited-overs form of the game and led the team in the 2011 World Cup.His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname “Boom Boom Afridi”. Moreover, out of the six fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them. As of 27 February 2011, he has an ODI strike rate of 113.83 runs per 100 balls, the third highest in the game’s history. This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.13. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease.
Shahid Afridi started playing cricket from the age of 11-12. In his words, "I loved the game immediately but started playing the game seriously only in 1993-94. I started playing domestic cricket from Karachi Cricket Club. My brother also played cricket. That is how I really got interested. He started playing after watching Imran Khan; so did I. I started playing cricket for Pakistan in 1996".This unknown 16 year old became a household name after his very first match. Shahid Afridi announced his arrival in international cricket with a sensational 37-ball century versus Sri Lanka at Nairobi on October 4th 1996. It was an innings watched by a fortunate few. Putting the redoubtable Sanath Jayasuriya in the shade was no mean achievement. Afridi is a tiger in one day cricket, an awesome hitter on his day. He began as a new ball bowler, switched to leg spin and then found a place in the Pakistan team as an attacking batsman. Not to forget his wonderful fielding. If he can tamper himself to the demand of Test cricket, which he seems to have begun, by capturing 5 wickets in his debut match and then scoring a century (141 in the 2nd innings of the 1st Test against India in Chennai) in his second Test, Afridi shall become one of the superstars of the new millennium.
Personal Life
Personal Life
| As a Person | ||||||
Afridi is a very friendly and jovial person but is very shy around girls. He recently got married to his cousin and has clearly stated that now his attention would be divided amongst his wife and his fans. Shahid is very respectful towards his elders and his parents are the most important people in the world for him. He has a lot of friends in the Pakistani team whom he loves and trusts. He is deeply religious and leaves everything beyond his control to Allah. He likes listening to music and is a God fearing person.
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