CRICKETER Shahid Afridi’s book has stirred controversy involving past heroes and has brought into question the response of those in authority at crucial moments of our cricketing history.

This is all Pakistan needed as it heads into a series against England followed by a tough World Cup in that country.

Game Changer relives some glorious moments and pays tribute to Karachi cricket. But it also lays bare the internal battles plaguing national cricket; it is quite remarkable how the team, with all the intrigues and disputes, still retains its presence among the top sides of the world.

The account, a partnership between the fearless Shahid Afridi and the book’s author Wajahat Saeed Khan, confirms some old assertions as well as gives new information on the subject.

The most significant episode thrown up by their joint expedition coincidentally relates to an England tour: the infamous Mazhar Majeed affair of 2010. The sportsman emphasises how his tip-off about Majeed’s approach to Pakistani players had failed to move the team’s management.

The aggressive all-rounder’s narrative of the ugly happening paints the Pakistani cricket administration in passive colours, offering an explanation for why the country has been so vulnerable to invasions by match-fixers.

From that painful chapter, Salman Butt emerges as worthy of condemnation, while the harshest judgement is reserved for Narendra Modi and Darrel Hair.

Shahid Afridi, who concedes that the authorities had understated his age when he first started off, is least convincing when he tries to clarify why he couldn’t play to his full potential. He blames it on those who tried to coach him.

He is very clear about his friends and those whom he does not like, with very few anonymous exceptions.

Wasim Akram leads the bunch of friends but another great, Waqar Younis, is placed in the company of those he discards: Shoaib Malik, Aamer Sohail, and indeed, Javed Miandad, who greatly disappointed our protagonist in person after first inspiring his India dream with his famous Sharjah sixer.

Imran Khan is a childhood favourite in an account that doesn’t mind typecasting — frequently referring to DNA and Pathan origins. But then, he is bold enough to say that, while the jury was still out on how fair the 2018 polls were, he thought it was a case of 50-50.

That is perhaps an indication of the independent mind that sets Shahid Afridi apart from the others and makes his call deserving of attention.

Published in Dawn, May 5th, 2019