The Mercurial Mr Afridi
Aditya Iyer of the Indian Express explores a worrying trend in Shahid Afridi's comebacks, where the Pakistan allrounder announces himself in style but later fizzles out
17-Jul-2013
Shahid Afridi marked his return to one-day cricket with the second-best bowling figures in history, to go along with a typically swashbuckling half-century that powered his side to a 126-run victory over West Indies at Providence. Aditya Iyer of the Indian Express, explores the Pakistan allrounder's previous comebacks, most of which had begun with a spectacular performance and nothing of note thereafter.
Again, you were the Man of the Match. Of course you were. In a career where you have been dropped five times, each of the returns have been marked with you being the standout player of the match. You were one of stalwarts from the 2003 World Cup squad to be axed after the loss to India. But when India visited your land in 2004, you were picked for the Rawalpindi ODI. You opened and scored a 58-ball 80 to give Pakistan a 12-run win. But you wouldn't score a total of 80 runs over your next eight innings. And that has been the true story of your comebacks.