Since Shahid Afridi’s retirement on 19 February 2017, the Pakistan cricket team has been searching for a complete All-rounder. Shahid Khan Afridi was initially everything that Pakistan Cricket required.
From his leg-spinning jaffas to his ability to hit long, he had everything to awe fans. However, his abilities still seem to be missing. In this article, we will look closer at the reasons why Pakistan Cricket is unable to get a replacement for Shahid Afridi.
Shahid Afridi is hard to get replicated
He is extremely hard to be replaced, remember we are talking about a guy who broke the world record for the fastest ODI century in his first-ever International inning.
He was the Player of the Final of the 2009 T20I world cup, courtesy of his sensational unbeaten 54 and 1 wicket while only giving away 20 runs in his 4 overs quota.
His achievements need a whole new book of white papers. His attacking style of batting earned him the title of “Boom Boom” by the Indian commentator Ravi Shashtri.
Speaking of why Pakistan is yet to find a replacement for Shahid Afridi is simply because there can not be a second Shahid Afridi. Shahid Afridi was the last hope of 220 Million people.
Afridi was the true definition of fearless. Out of the seven fastest one-day International centuries, Afridi has three centuries among those. He has the third-highest one-day International strike rate, which is 117.
Shahid Afridi was recognized for his sixes, he holds the record for most sixes in one-day Internationals. He is still the youngest player to score a one-day International century.
Almost impossible to grab an option for Shahid Afridi. Few players got their look-alikes, for example, Sachin Tendulkar got Virat Kohli, Ricky Ponting got Steven Smith. These players are at least filling the gaps in their teams.
Pakistan tried to grab a replacement
Pakistan tried a few options to get a replacement for Shahid Afridi. Few were pure hard-hitting batters while few were all-rounders.
But these replacements never filled the gap of Shahid Afridi. Let’s take a look at what Pakistan offered.
Imad Wasim
He had played under Shahid Afridi’s captaincy. His batting and bowling styles both differ from Afridi’s tone. He is an all-rounder and his six-hitting capability got better and better.
His ODI batting strike rate quite resembles Shahid Afridi’s strike rate(110.29). But he was never a complete substitute for Shahid Afridi. He lacks the six-hitting ability that Afridi had and he is yet to learn some finishing techniques.
Do you think he would have been a substitute for Shahid Afridi if Pakistan invested more in him?
Shadab Khan
An exciting leggie from Mianwali emerged in 2017 for Pakistan. He was up and running from day one of his career. He was only a leg-break bowler when he started his career but as he went ahead in his career we all realized that he can be a great batter as well.
Recently he became the fastest bowler to take hundred T20I wickets from Pakistan. He averages almost 19 and has a strike rate of almost 138 with 28 bombastic sixes in T20I.
If someone is close to being the replacement for Shahid Afridi he is Shaddy. What do you think of Shadab Khan being Shahid Afridi, can he?
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Muhammad Nawaz
29-year-old left-handed batsman from Rawalpindi averages 26.77 with the ball in T20Is. Has an average of 17.79 with the bat and a strike rate of 130. His batting got improved recently but he still lacks something that has to be there to become the next Shahid Afridi.
That is nerves of steel. He has been below PAR with his nerves be it India versus Pakistan in the 2022 T20I World Cup or versus Zimbabwe in the same series.
He has great control over his bowling but I think he was forced to bowl like a medium fast in the game against India, that is what got him.
Can he be the next Afridi?
Muhammad Haris
The reckless wicket-keeper batsman has some nerves. We have seen it everywhere from him be it PSL or be it World Cup he never hesitates to take charge just like Shahid Afridi.
His age makes him an even stronger contender to be the replacement for Shahid Afridi, he is only 22 years of age.
With robust batting abilities and innovation, Muhammad Haris can be the next Afridi but with the bat only, he is a wicket-keeper.
Pakistan will take a batting Afridi as long as he is fearless.
Your thoughts?
Iftikhar Ahmad
Long levers and nerves of steel are what we use to recognize Iftikhar Ahmad. The Finisher of team Pakistan can hit firm sixes making him a very very strong contender to be the replacement for Shahid Afridi.
Not only with the bat but he can chunk a few good overs too with his bowling ability.
What do you believe about this strong hitter?
Conclusion
Pakistan has tried many options to find a replacement for Shahid Afridi but a legend can be born once. All the options do have some plus points and also some weak points.
Although they have found many contenders, Muhammad Haris, Shadab Khan, and Iftikhar Ahmed appear to be strong alternatives.
If you get a chance to pick a replacement for Shahid Afridi, whom would you be picking?
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