July 29, 2009

Shahid Afridi, are the teens finally over?

He bats, he bowls, he even wins you matches, let’s make him captain too. That sounds like Shakib Al Hasan’s job profile, so why can’t it be Shahid Afridi’s?

On the face of it, sounds eccentric for Afridi to even have a job profile, just doesn’t sit right. Can Afridi sit? Almost like Jatman-Sehwag and a job profile. Like bottling up dynamite! Listen, no matter how focussed dynamite is, it is still dynamite. For me, Boom Boom is still Bang Bang!

In the T20 World Cup final he was cool like a Collingwood. And he won that, didn’t he? Likewise in the semis. The Boom Boomers say, hasn’t he showed his credentials with Habib Bank, Sind and Karachi Dolphins over the years, and earned this. What, T20, make him captain of the one-day team, test side…ok, he doesn’t play tests or does he? The Boom Boomers will go to the extent of saying, why stop at captaincy, make him President of a political party – his raised arms will be a balm for Pakistan. He’s the real deal, not Imran Bhai.

Also in Boom Boom’s favour is experience and age – he’s been playing for what, 13 years now? He surely has another 13 years in him, and he can’t be more than 13 years’ old himself! Yeah, that’s why he behaves like a teenager every now and then! If Boom Boom had a song it would be, 13 till I die!

But then why try and cajole Younis Khan into captaincy? Is there a plan to make Younis the non-playing smiling T20 captain – handle rough interviews and rough players, is that YK’s job profile?

Still stranger, why appoint Boom Boom captain for the solitary T20 game v Sri Lanka? If he lifts another first ball to long-off, is that it for him? Show some faith, at least make him captain till the 2010 World Cup. It’s not as if it’s 4 years away. And Boom Boom will still be only 13 years’ old then.

But for me, Afridi should be captain because he’s a frigging character. After each wicket the team will strike ballet like poses, raised arms and all. The timing’s spot on, now if only Boom Boom can work things out without the psycho analyst or whatever he was. Else it’ll be, Honey I shrunk the team!


On Bored: Wasim's take on Boom Boom Afridi

6 comments:

Q said...

ur right abt that.. he should have been given the captaincy for a long haul rather than one off..

Unknown said...

He was great captaining national level, why not permanent for international?

Anonymous said...

not now. perhaps he would always be < 40 even when he would have played 20 yrs of cricket :)

his looks have hardly changed since he was "17"

Gaurav Sethi said...

Q, that's there.

Tho can't put it beyond Afridi taking it one game at a time - if I like it then I captain kinda thing

Gaurav Sethi said...

Husha, how many captains and egos did he captain there?

Gaurav Sethi said...

Sam, could be the whole family takes turns to play for Pak - this his youngest brother now. In T20 WC finals his smartest bro. Before that bowling bro.