Expect 'big' finish to Afridi's ODI career: Lawson
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Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson tipped veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi as one of the players to watch at the upcoming World Cup, predicting a 'big' finish to Boom Boom's ODI career.
Lawson, who coached Pakistan from 2007-2008, said Afridi had transformed into a more mature person and abandoned captaincy ambitions to focus solely on ending his ODI career on a high.
"I won't quote his age because I found four different references to his birthdate. But age is no limit to the penetration of his bowling or the power of his hitting. Under Misbah-ul-Haq's leadership, Afridi has abandoned his own captaincy agenda and his concentration on purely playing continues to be valuable for the Pakistan team," Lawson wrote in his column.
The former Australian pacer said Afridi's value with the ball remained a vital weapon in the absence of strike bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul at the World Cup.
"He can pick up wickets with his sliders, leg breaks and wrong 'uns in the middle overs that can turn a game. Strike bowlers rather than steady ones will win games in 50 over cricket."
"Expect him to have a big cup, it should be his last ... or not," Lawson said.
In December last year, the 34-year-old Afridi, a veteran of 389 ODIs, announced his decision to retire from ODIs after the World Cup.
True to his nature, he also announced he would chase the new record for the fastest century set by South Africa's AB De Villiers against the West Indies on Sunday. De Villiers' 31-ball ton surpassed New Zealand's Corey Anderson's mark who had overtaken Afridi's 37-ball record in January 2014.
"You never plan out to set such records. It just happens when you have a very special day and your confidence is sky high. If everything works out for me and it is my special day than I will try to improve the record set by AB de Villers in New Zealand or in the World Cup," Afridi said in an interview.
"I hope I get another special day in the coming World Cup if it can happen I will try to get back the record of which I was always proud."
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On DawnNews
Comments (37) Closed
Jan 22, 2015 01:02am
Define big.....
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Jan 22, 2015 01:07am
you da man afridi
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Jan 22, 2015 01:13am
Lala is such a dominant figure, if he backs Misbah properly and takes responsibility i can guarantee you will see the conviction of Imran's 1992 team. He has to be to Misbah what Javed was to Imran in 1992, I cannot stress that enough!
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Jan 22, 2015 01:24am
All he is interested is in breaking a record. No word about winning the World Cup !!
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Jan 22, 2015 01:25am
I only hope Lawson is correct. But Afridi recently has mostly been very un-reliable with exception of a few good innings. Well he is older and not the same quick player anymore, but who knows what he may do in World Cup. With finger-crossed - I'll be very happy if he performs greatly.
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Jan 22, 2015 01:33am
lala is a cricket genious (i am not comparing him with other players as everyone has his unique value).....cricket might never see another afridi again...thanks for the entertainment afridi and wish you best of luck....
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Jan 22, 2015 01:35am
I am not holding my breath.
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Jan 22, 2015 01:40am
Best of luck Lala, the most destructive player the world of cricket has ever seen.
Best wishes.
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Jan 22, 2015 01:47am
I think Afridis bowling will be effective in the world cup however his batting is totally dependent on hand eye coordination which has only deteriorated as he has got older. I think he might score a little against average bowling attacks if he gets stuck in however will struggle against AUS, SA, ENG for sure and possibly IND, SRI and NZ as well. In 15+ years of cricket he still hasnt figured out the concept of controlled aggression. Im glad AB holds the fastest 100 record now in ODIs cause he is a true great batsman in any format. Neither Afridi nor Corry Anderson deserved it in my view.
I actually feel Afridi throws away his wicket more now than he did when he was younger which completely defies logic. Pakistan will be highly dependent on their bowling in this cup if they go far cause this batting line-up will struggle to post scores of 270-280+ on a regular basis.
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Jan 22, 2015 02:01am
Lawson.. please do not pump our hopes; on fast tracks Afridi will get a chest high ball. He will sky it at 90 degrees which either mid-on or bowler catch himself. Very simple strategy for a batsman like Afridi; I just wonder how on earth he was able to play 389 matches?
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Jan 22, 2015 02:06am
I hope that he and Misbah both do end their careers on a high and bring Pakistan the WC. But I think realistically speacking a SemiFinal spot would be a good achievement for this team as well.
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Jan 22, 2015 02:10am
Anything could be expected of Afridi.I hope he plays sensibly he prove to be more dangerous as a consistant player than an unpredictable one.Good Luck Boom Boom.
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Jan 22, 2015 03:38am
All of Afridi's work over the years would become undone if he attempts to shatter the record in every outing as opposed to playing for the situation.
When Pakistan bats first, I don't see him getting the platform that AB got for his knock. Batting second yes, he may walk in many times with the team needing 8+ runs an over.
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Jan 22, 2015 04:12am
Good luck shahid afridi.
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Jan 22, 2015 04:13am
Only good at home- Take him to Zimbabwe and see results lolzzz
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Jan 22, 2015 04:35am
That is bad news for Pakistan. This man will try to be unnecessarily aggressive and dip his average further. Instead of making century in 31 balls he should try to make 31 runs at least.
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Jan 22, 2015 04:59am
I am proud of Afridi and have lot of hopes from him. My request to him is to stay humble and plan to set new records but please do not announce in advance any thing. My prayers and good wishes are with Pakistan n' s team.
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Jan 22, 2015 05:08am
Hope he does well ?? He has given a lot to cricket and Pakistan cricket ,wish him all the best for after cricket life.
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Jan 22, 2015 05:57am
The most over-rated batsman in the world.
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Jan 22, 2015 06:37am
Lala should concentrate on winning the games for his team and country and along the way should he get a chance to create the kind of record he has in mind, well and good. But he should also keep in mind the fact that these are 50 over games and not 20, time spent at the crease and pushing the score along without taking any risk would be a sure sign of maturity and a great opportunity to earn the nations love and respect for years to come. Whatever you do Lala, just don't throw your wicket away. Winning this world cup should be your dream just as it is ours. Best of luck!
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Jan 22, 2015 07:03am
I dont think that afridi will perfrm good in d worldcup,if we look at his performnce in worldcup he was unble to give his best..and he may contribute alot from ball not from bat.
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Jan 22, 2015 07:06am
You think so? Wish I was that confident for him.
I hope he is not aiming for records - rather wins for the team.
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Jan 22, 2015 08:05am
I wonder how the crowd is going to be in UAE with no Afridi.
Further more if only Misbah can score his maiden ODI century
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Jan 22, 2015 08:07am
Brainless cricketer
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Jan 22, 2015 08:31am
Wish him good luck. Hope he will make this world cup memorable for all of us.
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Jan 22, 2015 08:35am
Useless Good for nothing
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Jan 22, 2015 11:25am
Lala your aim should be lasting 30 balls. This is ODI not 20/20 match. Play for the team depending on the situation- not to please the crowd or commentators. All that experience would count for nought if all you're thinking about is setting records.
Surely you are a better player than your previous 4 World cup average of 11.6 with HS of 37!
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Jan 22, 2015 11:53am
@Adnan Did ever he played for the team?????. If he had played from his own pride records would have been different. 1 wicket per match batting average below thirty and he is legend.
Pakistani media given him unnecessary weightage and the young generation followed his method of batting, see the result the whole team gets all out in 20 overs.
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Jan 22, 2015 12:01pm
He's a big match player, if afridi got two or three good days Pakistan will surely be in position to combat for the final spot.
This team is better than previous ones because players are more motivated and determined towards national cause.
Good luck Pakistan
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Jan 22, 2015 01:39pm
As much as I hope that you are spot on but the fact is, he has always played as if there were explosions in his brain on every ball, it is always hit/miss with his batting, how as a batsmen he has made it so far is beyond me, all I would want as he will be playing no matter what, that he hits more than he misses otherwise we all know how often he has disappointed us, the moments of rejoice through him are rare. Lets hope it's the other way around in the WC.
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Jan 22, 2015 01:50pm
If he is saying he is going to go to break De Villiers record then he is doomed for this world cup. Still a man with very immature thinking
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Jan 22, 2015 02:17pm
Wish you goodluck lala....
Dont make announcements just surprise the oppositions by your performance..!!...All prayers for the whole.. InshahAllah Pakistan will bring the WC home yet again...!!
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Jan 22, 2015 02:19pm
@SOS My concern is that the pressure from his sponsors - who will surely be showing plenty of ads exploiting Afridi's big hitting abilities during the World cup - will be too great to ignore and common sense will desert him again.
Such a talented all round player but this boom boom tag and expectation I feel has been a poisoned chalice.
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Jan 22, 2015 02:46pm
Guys we just need a lot of luck and prayers to reach semi finals. Then Afridi magic and we win the World Cup.
EZY PIZZY!
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Jan 22, 2015 05:19pm
Lala has still got it in him but he needs to start cautiously. He will succeed against India if brought as opener with the plan for tuk tuk until 15 overs. To complement it, Misbah brought as boom boom at #7 will be more effective than Afridi.
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Jan 22, 2015 05:24pm
@Mirza You better hold!
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Jan 23, 2015 01:59am
he is a bowler who can hit hard and occasionally hits for few overs. On the average his batting is of little value for the team. In Australia and New Zealand he will be lucky to score more than 20 runs in each match. He would be useless against sensible bowlers especially genuine fast bowlers. However, given the limited options he is an automatic selection and has no pressure to perform. I hope he will do his best supported by poor performance of his opponents and Pakistan will bag the cup
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