Shahid Afridi, also known as Shahid “Boom Boom” Afridi due to his explosive batting style, is a retired Pakistani cricketer and former captain. He was born on March 1, 1980, in the Khyber tribal district of Pakistan, which is governed by the federal government.
Afridi is a right-handed all-rounder who is known for his aggressive batting style. He was also a cost-effective and reliable bowler who relied more on change of pace than spin.
He is best known for having the fastest century in cricket history, which he achieved in only 37 balls before being surpassed by South African batsman AB de Villiers. Afridi also holds the record for most sixes in one-day international cricket.
Shahid Afridi’s international career started when he was chosen as a leg spinner for the 1996-97 Sameer Cup, replacing Mushtaq Ahmed, who was injured. In his first few games, he batted as a pinch-hitter at number three.
Afridi has played for a number of different clubs throughout his career. Afridi has also represented the Deccan Chargers, Dhaka Gladiators, Fly Emirates XI, Griqualand West, Habib Bank Limited, Hampshire, ICC World XI, Karachi, Karachi Region Blues, Kowloon Cantons, Leicestershire, Melbourne Renegades, Northamptonshire, Peshawar Zalmi, Rangpur Riders, Ruhuna Royals, South Australia, and St Kitts and Nevis Patriots, among others
Career
Shahid Afridi made his international debut against Kenya in an ODI on October 2, 1996. He did not get to bat in that match, and he was also wicketless.
In the following match, against Sri Lanka, he made his batting debut. On the 22nd of October 1998, two years after making his ODI debut, he made his test debut against Australia in the third match of a three-match series.
On August 28, 2006, he made his T20I debut against England. For both club and country, Afridi’s career followed a predictable path. From 2000 onwards, he was consistent in both batting and bowling, establishing himself as a reliable all-rounder.
Shahid Afridi’s career started out strong, with early signs of greatness. At 16 years and 217 days, he became the youngest batsman to score an international century. In his batting debut against Sri Lanka, he scored the fastest century ever in 37 deliveries, hitting eleven sixes in the process, which was also a record at the time.
Two years later, he made his test debut against Australia, taking five wickets in the first innings. In the second test against India, he scored 141 runs off 191 balls for his first test century. In the same match, he took three wickets for 54 runs.
After many match-winning performances for his side, Afridi’s Test career took off. In 2005, he contributed to Pakistan’s victory over India by scoring a fast half-century and taking five wickets. In the same year, Afridi set a new world record by scoring a century off just 45 balls.
In the first T20 World Cup in 2007, Afridi was also the first player to win the Man of the Series Award. He was more effective with the ball than with the bat. Afridi’s half-century was the pinnacle of Pakistan’s victory over Sri Lanka in the 2009 T20 World Cup.
In his service, Afridi has had a number of blind spots. Afridi was suspended for a Test match and two One-Day Internationals on November 21, 2005, after intentionally damaging the pitch in the second match of the three-match series against England. He was caught on camera scrubbing his foot on the pitch and pleaded guilty afterwards.
He was suspended for the first two matches of the 2007 World Cup after he was seen thrusting his bat into a fan after a scuffle on February 8, 2007. When he retired in 2010 and returned, he became well-known for his “retirement shenanigans.” After 2007, his career began to wane due to his reckless style and his preference for bowling over batting.
PSL Career
Afridi’s club career started in 2001, when he signed with Leicestershire. In the C&G Cup semi-final against Derbyshire, he put in a match-winning effort.
He went on to play for a number of other clubs before becoming the President of Peshawar Zalmi, a Pakistan Super League team. In 2015, the Do Something foundation named him one of the world’s 20 most generous athletes.
Captaincy
When Younis Khan declared his retirement in 2009, Afridi was named captain of his national team for the first time. Later, he was appointed permanent captain of the T20 team.
In March 2010, Afridi was elected Pakistan’s ODI captain, and he led the team to victory in the 2010 Asian Cup, scoring 384 runs in total, including two centuries.
He was appointed captain of all three formats on May 25, 2010.
Retirement
Afridi announced his retirement from Test cricket in July 2010. He also retired from ODI cricket after the 2015 ICC World Cup. He announced his retirement from international cricket in February 2017.
He continues to play for clubs, with his most recent match taking place on December 17, 2017. Due to problems with the PCB, he was forced to resign twice and then returned. In 2017, he announced his retirement. His career spanned 21 years, and it was not without its ups and downs.