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KARACHI: All-rounder Shahid Afridi Wednesday promised to review his one-day future after Pakistan’s series loss to Sri Lanka, saying youngsters needed to be inducted with the 2015 World Cup in mind.
Afridi, 32, managed just 28 runs in four innings and his three wickets were taken at an expensive average of 48.66 as Pakistan slumped to a 3-1 defeat with one match abandoned due to rain in the series, which ended on Monday.
“Our performance was not how we were expecting it to be,” Afridi told AFP.
“Now I want to consult my elders and then decide on my one-day future. I will have to sincerely review where I stand as far as my performance is concerned.”
Afridi, who holds the record of smashing the fastest one-day hundred – off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996 – has not been on the best of form with the bat and has not bowled to the standard he set as a leg-spinner.
He has played 347 one day internationals for Pakistan, scoring 7,068 runs and taking 347 wickets.
But he managed just three wickets in Pakistan’s 4-1 defeat against England in February this year.
He said Pakistan needs to build a strong team for the 2015 World Cup, to be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand.
“I will make a decision soon but I have yet to decide on retirement. I will continue playing Twenty20 cricket if I leave one-days (ODI). I want to leave the stage for youngsters so that Pakistan can have a good team by 2015,” said Afridi, who retired from Test cricket in 2010.
Highlighting Pakistan’s fielding as one reason for the loss to Sri Lanka, he said: “Sri Lanka used their conditions very well and they are a strong team in their conditions, so they fared better than us.
“We lost mainly because of poor fielding. This has been our weakness ever since I started playing cricket, so we need to overcome that problem.”
Afridi had an eventful last year, guiding Pakistan to the World Cup semi-final before falling out with then Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Ijaz Butt after being removed as one-day captain.
In protest he announced retirement from all cricket but rescinded his decision after Butt was replaced by Zaka Ashraf as PCB chairman in October.
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On DawnNews
Comments (30) Closed
Jun 20, 2012 09:10pm
It was only in Pakistan where an ordinary and average cricketer like Afridi was made to believe a rescuer of Pakistan team. Infact, Afridi has done more harm than good to Pakistan cricket.
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Jun 21, 2012 11:42am
The way Pakistan team is performing is absolutely ridiculous, this all is happening only because of mismanagement, poor selection, like Hafeez, Malik, Younis,Sami. These all player have no right to play any more .
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Jun 20, 2012 07:21pm
Number of chances Shahid Afridi got, would have been given to Imran Nazir, Ahmed Shezad, Shahzeb Hassan We wouldn't be in such a clumsy position as we are right now. Shahid Afridi I think servived so long in International circuit just due to his bowling which he no doubt remarkably improved by the time keeping in mind that he was batsmen cum bowler at the time of his debut. However, with the bat he inspired the cricket world but due to indefinite inconcistency he didn't reach at that level of great all rounders who ruled the worl of cricket. Today, Ahmed Shehzad, Shahzeb Hassan, and especially Ramiz Raja and Owais Zia type of raw talent is required to be polished at high level to groom these youngsters so they can serve the nation at international level.
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Jun 20, 2012 01:18pm
And as you are about to leave (as one of the best cricketers with huge talent), take with you Mohammed Hafiz, the wanna be OPENER for Pakistan. Who has not delivered anything in the past matches. Neither now nor in any other series. I'm sure there are a lot of youngster waiting to deliver on the streets of Pakistan.
Thank you, Afridi!
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Jun 20, 2012 01:37pm
ok
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Jun 20, 2012 01:33pm
Not only Afridi but a few other old guards should also leave-Umar Gul, Younis Khan, S.Malik,Sami and Mr.Cool himself.
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Jun 20, 2012 08:02pm
You cannot train today with yesterday’s methods and still be competitive tomorrow.In the modern world of elite athletic sports efficiency,anything that can aid the ability of any given athlete to improve his or her game is worth the effort to find.Winning means being the best.Its all about mind set.
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Jun 20, 2012 09:07pm
Sorry to say that but, Bangladesh got test and one day status not because of their performance but, because ICC sees her a country where they can generate huge revenues. Bangladesh got a Test status way back in 1999 and look what they have to show.Except beating lowly rated Zimbabwe and 2nd or maybe 3rd rated West Indies on their home grounds. Sme story in for the most part in ODI's. I have always believed that All international cricket should be based on a tier system. Only top six or eight teams should be allowed in Grade one competetions.
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Jun 20, 2012 07:07pm
Shahid is one of the most over-rated player in Pakistan team. I have no respect for him and whatever little respect I had for his game is long gone. Even a non-player like me would not play the shot that he got himself out on. The problem with our players is that they are now like politians - who don't want to leave with respect and their heads high. They will keep sticking, shamelessly.
Misbah, Shahid, Younus, Umer Akmal - all got to go - yesterday, not tomorrow.
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Jun 20, 2012 02:55pm
I think afridi still can do a lot but GUL,SAMI AND YOUNUS are the worst in team also we need a good wicket keeper/
batsman
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Jun 20, 2012 02:56pm
Why does he have to consult his elders before retiring? Did he do everything in his career after consulting his elders?
Seriously quite an absurd statement from a experienced cricketer. Mr. Afridi if you can't perform and don;t feel like playing anymore just bow out, don't make it a saga, its very simple. Just announce, we'll say thank you for your service and that's it, done.
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Jun 20, 2012 04:28pm
He is not allrounder for your kind information he never score 30+ from past 30 matches
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Jun 20, 2012 02:20pm
For God Sake and for the Good of the team , this time Leave for Never Ever to Come back and Kindly Kindly Take along with you all the Big Enigmatic yoyos like yourself ( Younus , Sami , Shoab , Misbah and off course Gul and the two Akmals ) Let the starts of Under 19 or under 17 teams make up the prime team of Pakistan . Even if they loose (and they will loose no doubt about it ) at least there will be no Big Fuss to make ....
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Jun 20, 2012 02:15pm
doesnt matter .he will comeback soon as per their tradition... !!!!!! lol
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Jun 20, 2012 02:19pm
i do not understand afridi's comment about consulting elders on his odi future. Afridi has urge to retire (he's done it many times before). Sometimes it's Test cricket, other times the whole of international cricket and now one day. After a little while he always want to come back. Make up your mind what you want to do and then let selectors decide if they want to have you in team. No need to play childish games every time.
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Jun 20, 2012 02:04pm
not genuine to retaire in a hurry because team needs players like him in the team.Brave and experienced boys will surely help pakistan team in future. Just a loss in only one series should not be viewed in a way that seniors are going to any down.Such a decision could be dangerous for the team.Every player goes through the same in a long carrier.Misbah may consider such a plan because of his age factor but it never suits allrounders who are just young.Afridi can serve for a long as he is physically fit and his alround performance will bost the morale of the team definetly.
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Jun 20, 2012 01:59pm
what are you on about mate malik, sami and most of all GUL definitely have a role to play,, if you retire gul and sami who will lead your pace attack, your father?
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Jun 20, 2012 01:46pm
If the players know and has been raising the concern about poor fielding, but I guess it always fall on the deaf ears. There should be a special fielding coach for the team. We spend so much money on other useless things, why not spend a little where it could be worthwhile.
Team Pakistan has always been blessed to have world class batsmen, and world class bowlers .... however, they have always been cursed with world class poor fielders :) Hope someday PCB will realize this fact, and will do something about it.
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Jun 20, 2012 02:13pm
I agree with Ishtiaq, we also need to chage our selection procedure and take note of Bangladesh the way they found such good young talent. We urgently need wicket keeper batsman nad few Batting all-rounders.
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Jun 20, 2012 01:37pm
Best of luck Mr. Shahid Afridi. Everybody has to go through this stalemate. We have lot of respect & love for you.
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Jun 20, 2012 03:29pm
Let Afridi play his natural game to see good results- He is free-born person
Zaka Ashraf is a political appointment -He should come honest and go -Only professional appointments/ selections will help pakistan Cricket flourish
Mushtaq
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Jun 20, 2012 03:26pm
I have a request for our cricketing experts who are urging for the dramatic exit for most of the senior players.Fine but think for the replacement players. We have a national temprament of doing something rash first and think about the consequences later . Those of us who have played cricket at some level know that we all go through bad form from time to time. The best way to come out of it is to keep playing. Other than one sensational collapse, matches were close enough to have gone iether way. Winning and loosing is part of cricket. We, as a nation are impatient people. If we can blame someone we want his head now. If we make a mistake, well we all know how we handle it.
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Jun 20, 2012 02:35pm
Shahid Afridi, if re-appointed as T-20 and One day Captain will do much better & would regain his form because I know any Pathan can not perform in lesser position than what he was holding before, give him back the Leadership & tables are bound to turn as still he has the ability to wedge a valley out of a hole.........! He certainly is worth taking this chance for at least a single Series.Let's not loose the legend like we did so many times in the past.
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Jun 21, 2012 12:00am
Think before you open your Mouth, His father has passed away recently.. no need to drag family in cricket discussions.
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Jun 21, 2012 12:18am
Afridi performance has been abysmal for a long time. He plays a good inning and then gives a plethora of bad performances. His last world cup performance was poor as a batter though he did take a lot of wickets but one should remember that people like him as a batter than a good bowler. It is time for him to go and let the youngster to take a charge. To my understanding he has been a burden on the team for a long time. Cricket is a game of techniques and timing and not of emotions and power. Even today if we watch Viv Richard's batting on the youtube, we can easily say that where techniques and timing stand versus emotions and power.
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Jun 21, 2012 01:06am
Pakistan team need a change from top to bottom first the selector then, Younus, Misbah, Omar Gul, Sami, Shoib Malik, Afridi & Hafeez , these useless guys should be replaced immediately with new talent look for them i am sure we will find a lots of them
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Jun 21, 2012 03:39am
players are not playing for the country its just about the money and wants to stay in the team that it !!!!! i wish we can tell wasim and waqar , saqlain , mustaq ahmed to come out from the retirement and just get us one more world cup !!!! present situation we are just being bullied from a normal team!!!!!!
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Jun 21, 2012 03:01pm
Disappointing comments from Afridi. If 20/20 leagues were not around, players like Afridi would never think about retiring. There are only a handful of 20/20's every year, this will give Afridi the chance to play in all the domestic tourneys around the world. Playing or not playing for your country should not be an option. Especially, when everything you have is because of playing for your country in the first place.
On the other hand, we don't know what's happening within the team or what thoughts are going through the player's minds. It could be that PCB's recent financial troubles are making players think about sourcing alternative income. Or, it could be simple as that Afridi just doesn't have it anymore.
I personally think Afridi wants to retire so he can play in more lucrative / money making tourneys. Only time will tell!
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Jun 21, 2012 06:58am
This wouldnt have happened if ONLY he could bat more responsibly instead of trying to finish the match by hitting 6 sixes in one over....anyways, he is a superb all -rounder and should play atleast a year more so that he can become one of the leading wicket takers for Pakistan.....
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Jun 22, 2012 12:20pm
Nobody can replace Afridi. He is a superb player and we need him to play for team Pakistan. Shahid Bhai you can still play cricket. Just by looking at the performance of team pak against Srilanka we cant underestimate the talent Pakistan players have got, despite the critics Misbah and Afridi can still play for many years as age is not a barrier. If you love a team first you've got to accept the players it has got. Good luck Shahid bhai. Please Play for team Pakistan for many more years. i love you. All the best Team Pakistan May God bless you.
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