Once the darling of crowds and one of the most commercially viable figures in Pakistan, Afridi has turned from into a villain from hero following his disappointing show in the World Twenty20 where he manage just 30 runs with the bat and scalped four wickets. Shahid Afridi has come under severe criticism following his dismal performance in the ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka.
It is also said Shahid Khan Afridi Thursday broke his bat and helmet in the dressing room at R. Premadasa stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The star all-rounder said that the media and people of Pakistan were justified in criticizing him as he had let down the nation with his performance
Shahid Afridi’s insipid performance has been a letdown for Pakistan in the World Twenty20 but Captain Mohammad Hafeez sprang to the all-rounder’s support saying he gave his best in the tournament.
The former captain played a poor shot to be bowled out on the first delivery he faced against Rangana Herath with Pakistan struggling during their chase of 140 runs for a place in Sunday’s final.
Afridi, who 16 years ago on the same day struck the fastest century in 50-over cricket against the same opponents, took the prized wicket of Sri Lankan captain Mahela Jayawardene on Thursday but has been cold with both bat and ball in the tournament.
“He is a match winner, there is no doubt about his abilities. But I think… he is really in a bad form at the moment,” Hafeez told reporters when asked about the 32-year-old all-rounder’s performance.
The popular cricketer scored just 30 runs in five innings and took only four wickets with his leg-spin bowling in six matches.
“He’s really worked hard in the whole tournament, but unfortunately things didn’t work for him,” Hafeez said.
“I can understand as a captain, as a player, when things don’t work for you.
“But he is a character, he is always a hard-worker and I think he is trying to come out of it (which) is a positive sign for us as a team. So that’s the reason we have given him all the chances.”
Former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed, however, offered some insight into why Afridi had struggled of late.
“Afridi is a very senior player and very committed but he had a back problem before this tournament. He was carrying it and it affected his performance,” Mushtaq said. (PTI)
We all know everyone goes through ups and downs and we should realize that Afridi is also going through a hard time. It’s a lot more frustrating for Afridi himself. He has always been a really good player and just because he’s a little out of form doesn’t mean that he’s not capable. Its funny how people have forgotten how Afridi was one of the main reasons for winning T20 World Cup in 2009. We happen to be a nation who always wants excellence and cannot take failures, if we would have won people would have been going crazy about it but since we lost of course they had to put the blame on someone to satisfy themselves. I don’t have anything against someone but all I want to convey is that if you can’t support your team when they lose then you have no right to support and cheer when they win. If we play then we should learn that winning or losing is a part of the game. Wining is not everything. Even the players like Messi and Ronaldo have had their share of bad luck.
Our team is one of the most unpredictable teams, we are Pakistan, we are a country where international matches are banned , a country which has never been invited in IPL. A country whose bowlers are number one in Cricket and they weren’t even considered as a nominee for the ICC 2012 awards but we still have the courage to reach the semifinals since 2008 and we believe that we can do it. Next time maybe ! Pakistan Zindabad!
Team EiK requests all of you to keep your spirits high, work hard and support your team 🙂 Yayyyy for team Green! And let’s not forget, Lala still is one of the most handsome players up to date! Boom boom 🙂