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Former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott has joined the critics bashing Pakistan’s Shahid Afridi, terming his recent dip in performance ‘embarrassing’.
“His batting is so bad now, it's embarrassing. He can't think, he can't judge the length, and he's just a swiper of the ball. It's appalling to watch him bat.
“He bats like a tail-ender. It must be frustrating as hell, exasperating, annoying, to all his supporters, his friends, his captain,” he said while talking to ESPNCricinfo.
Despite that, Boycott believes the all-rounder is a threat to the opposition with the ball but is wasted as a batsman.
“Whatever his faults, he still has some talent as a bowler. And I still love him. But it is totally exasperating and somebody needs to get hold of him,” Boycott added.
“Whether it's too late, I don't know. But he's wasted an enormous talent at batting.”
Afridi’s abysmal performance at the World Twenty20 during which he scored just 30 runs in five innings and took only four wickets in six matches attracted much criticism from former players and fans.
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On DawnNews
Comments (40) Closed
Oct 26, 2012 07:56am
Yes Afridi should play...
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Oct 26, 2012 07:40am
" A Chancer" Never liked him.
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Oct 26, 2012 11:50am
and we wait till when? another 10 years ? Its time for him to retire. While you are at it then bring wasim and waqar back too.
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Oct 26, 2012 05:49am
Respected Sirji, please understand that similar to the "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" Shahid Afridi is getting younger by the day. On April 01, 2013 he will reveal his new birth certificate to prove that he has finally turned 16 years old and is now eligible to play for the under 16 team. Not only will he score the fastest duck (and a few other feathered friends), he will also be the proud owner of the record for the fastest bite from a ball, tripping over his feet and accidentally running his team mate out. All in all a huge asset (for the opposing team).
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Oct 26, 2012 02:42am
Bang on Geoffery but still he is very useful for the opponents....With Shahid Afridi in playing 11 of Pakistan, the opponants are sure of atleast 1 wicket coz Pakistan then start batting alread 1 down...
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Oct 26, 2012 02:20am
Call it a day Mr Afridi, people may remember you.
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Oct 26, 2012 01:03am
I may not agree with many a thing said by Boycott. I certainly dont agree with his performance as a batsman. But for now he speaks truth. Afridi was not a threat to anyone on the filed for a long while.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:26am
...stating the obvious. Whats new!
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Oct 26, 2012 05:34am
Well i heard the interview on cricinfo. The heading is quite irrelevant to the real essence of what Bycot said. Please avoid adding mirch masala. Dawn has a standard of its own.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:33am
Afridi you are great you should play as long as Pakistani nation wants, not matter what are the opinions of outsiders, because you remain great and will perform good cricket Inshaallah.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:32am
There are bad patches in the performance of players, too much expectation some times is also responsible for that. He should keep playing cricket as long as fit. However his selection may be made conditional revival to his form. .
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Oct 26, 2012 04:14am
Fully agree , it happens sometimes ,and he should think hard about his future, But we can never forget Afridi contribution for getting us 2009 T20 cup.
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Oct 26, 2012 12:49pm
I think the guy above was trying to say: Hasta la Vista (Terminator line).
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Oct 26, 2012 10:44am
I agree on that totally and besides , whether its Tests or IPL or Galli Cricket , a reckless mind cant focus and that has always been the problem with folks like Afridi since day 1...please learn to handle your glorified players first before blaming something which has given a new dimension to the game altogether and also letting others copying it hopelessly now.
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Oct 26, 2012 02:26pm
Maybe we should get Miandad back again because he also one matches for us YEARS ago.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:03pm
unfortunately it has become a part of our culture in every field to not to call a day with respect and dignity unless you are forced out. the only obvious exception being imran khan.
many people love you boom boom,let it stay this way.time to move on champ
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Oct 26, 2012 03:09pm
Afridi should be dropped and he is an liability to pakistan side,instead they can groom youngsters as pakistan got gifted cricketers time to time.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:34pm
Well the T20 before this one was not 10 years ago and neither was the World Cup Semifinal that Pakistan played. He is still a huge asset for the team with his bowling just because he failed to fire in one tournament doesn't make him 'selfish' or 'spent force'. He is still in top 20 players in ODI internationals and one of only 3 bowlers from Pakistan in that list, ranked at number 4 in the list of top ODI all rounders. when it comes to T20 he is ranked at number 7 in the list of top T20 bowlers and number 3 in the list or top T20 all rounders.
Now if someone sees these figures and says that Afridi is a 'spent force' then may be he can also claim to be the Queen of England because both statements will be wrong.
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Oct 26, 2012 03:50pm
I tghink saying that if Afridi has any shame is disrespect to our heroes, remember when he won the T20 world cup for pakistan, he is a match winner, and can change the entire game single handed, there is nothing wrong with his playing skill the only thing is wrong he is unable to handle the p;ressure of negative creticeism.Afridi dear believe in yourself you are the one who did it and will do it, as far as Mr Jeff boycott how many world cups he won for England in his time, he should look in his own abilities.
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Oct 26, 2012 11:22am
@Que
Typical knee jerk response. Boycott has rubbished English players plenty of times when they deserved it. If you take the trouble to go through all what Boycott said, you might understand that Boycott, like many of us, is saddened by the waste of Afridi's prodigious talent. He suggests that one reason might be the pressure of the expectation of Afridi's supporters that he will smash the bowling to all corners of the ground every time he goes out to bat. Any batsman can lose form and go through a lean patch. That's understandable. The problem with Afridi is that he seems incapable of learning from his own mistakes. and keeps repeating them over and over again. The team management has failed to do anything about it. Maybe Afridi ought to seek advice from Boycott to sort this out.
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Oct 26, 2012 10:51am
u seriously need 2 start developing the habbit of listening to what other people have got to say and stop being so defensive about something or someone !!...dawn hasn't even put up his full interview...he clearly praised afridi as a bowler in his interview, saying that he's a fantastic bowler...boycott has always been fair and he's always had fair comments...he's not biased!! he's a great guy....have a look at the interview on cricinfo first and then speak mate...because you're pathetic the way you're reacted...and dawn needs 2 put up the full thing instead of grabbing bits here and there of the interview !!....
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Oct 26, 2012 09:32am
why bring IPL here ?
Afridi has probably played only one IPL and that too with very average results.
If IPL is the issue, then most Indian batsmen by now should have been worse than Afridi.
So don't always bring in India for every Pakistani's problem.
Grow up!
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Oct 27, 2012 06:55am
sapne se jago
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Oct 27, 2012 05:27am
Cricket needs more like Afridi, He is more energetic than any one else on the field and his presence enthralls everyone and makes every second eventful, Nowadays it's pathetic to see him in this form, Hoping he will come back strongly and should take advise from seniors to sort it out even though i have my own doubts when it comes to seeking advise from others.
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Oct 26, 2012 04:14pm
keep waiting for his click and it will take years good luck
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Oct 27, 2012 05:59am
I miss those days when he used to open the innings along with Saeed Anwar. He was more useful then as a batting allrounder. Team's interests should have been kept in focus here. He went on to ruin his chances along with the team when he started more focus on bowling in the last few years. He was more needed in batting which has been the weaker area of Pakistan. Bowling has always been strong so he was never required as a full time bowler. His days are over as a bowler unless he makes some use of his brain to get back his batting talent. I remember Miandad also started as an allrounder but settled for being a batsman. Afridi took a totally wrong turn.
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Oct 27, 2012 03:27am
Afridi only plays when he sees some nice rewards afterwards. Like the time when Pakistan won the T20 world cup and soon afterwards Afridi was promised the captaincy of ODS and T20s. Most of the team is like that. They r a shame for the the nation!!!!!!!!!!
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Oct 27, 2012 01:13pm
You must be out of your mind. You don't know anything about Cricket.Cricket doesn't need any afridies. Let me tell you something, if i am in the opposition, i am happy that the other team is playing with 10 players because afridi doesn't count.He played over 400 matches for apparently no damn reason. He is a LOSER cricketer but extremely fortunate to have this kind of luck. He is taking for somebody who could be next KADIR or even better. Think about that?
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Oct 27, 2012 04:18am
I agree with Bilal you are acting like a typial Pakistani baat puri suni nahi aur apna mu khol dia
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Oct 26, 2012 11:04pm
hahaha he definitely got it wrong bigtime ehhh !!!
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Oct 26, 2012 05:49pm
Bilal rather than get into a rant, read properly what Boycot has said and he is absolutely right. Learn to accept the truth and top being a typical Pakistani who is in denial.
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Oct 26, 2012 05:51pm
Sorry bilal I meant Que
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Oct 26, 2012 12:07am
I realize that there is a big following of Shahid Afridi in Pakistan but I have always thought for the last couple of years that he was beyond his time in Cricket and he would not provide any help or support to his team. He did not surprise me. He should step aside to make room for new blood. He is thriving on his name and fame, not on his performance.
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Oct 25, 2012 11:40pm
Its time to retire.....let someone else prove their valor!
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Oct 26, 2012 08:19am
Mr Boycott you have said it all it is only the Selectors, Zia and Hafeez disagree. Sad but true.
He should be selected only as a bowler if required or he should RETIRE immediately and people will respect him more.
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Oct 25, 2012 10:26pm
Just watch,Inshallah our dear Afridi will shine again .It is just matter of time.
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Oct 25, 2012 09:38pm
Well this is the pblm when we dont encourage good technique. Thanks to IPL mindless hitting is the most sought after talent now. Bring the Tests back !!
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Oct 26, 2012 09:06am
Who cares what Boycott has to say about Afridi....
Speaking of 'embarrassment' the entire England Team was a failure during the T20 world cup and what does Boycott have to say to that...?
It is pathetic how these 'oldy' cricketers love to pick on ICON cricketers like Afridi!!! The man (Afridi) can still single handedly win games for Pakistan! Estavisa - Boycott!
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Oct 26, 2012 08:58am
Boycott is right! If Afridi had any shame he would gracefully retire and make way for younger players for the sake of the team. He is a selfish player who is now extending his career purely for monetary reasons and he has become a liability for Pak team. His fans are so blinded by his successes from more than 10 years back that they refuse to see that he is a "spent force". Afridi's arrogance on his return from the recent world cup and his defiant attitude are another indication of a selfish and hot headed player with a big ego! Perhaps he may learn some humility from his Hajj experience and return a more sensible and less selfish person. I hope he retires as he has cost Pakistan team countless matches in world cups where even 30 or 40 runs while batting could have made the difference!
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Oct 26, 2012 10:56am
Shahid Afridi is an asset for the Pakistan Cricket for a couple of more years. He is a first class bowler
and fielder and when he clicks he can score in batting also. Long live Afridi. hk
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