Shahid Afridi, the prodigal son of Pakistani cricket has announced his retirement from International Cricket, 21 years after he slammed the fastest hundred in the history of ODI cricket at the time.
A rather illustrious career came to a grinding halt as Afridi lost favour with Pakistani selectors. He would, however, be happy that he ended his International career after a 28 ball 54 for Peshawar Zalmi in the Pakistan Super League.
Lovingly called as "boom boom" for his maverick style of batting, the flamboyant all-rounder was instrumental in Pakistan's T20 World Cup win in 2009. His leg spin bowling edged over his batting towards the latter half of his career and he put together many match-winning performances with the ball.
Here we take a look at some great moments from the career of Shahid Afridi.
#7 A different kind of knock against New Zealand in Sharjah, April 2002
Shahid Afridi took a detour from his whack-crack style of batting after Pakistan had bowled out New Zealand for a meagre 213. Opening the batting, Afridi took his time to settle in, something extraordinary from the maverick batsman.
Once set the aggressive side of him took over and he smashed seven fours and eight maximums off a hapless Kiwi attack. He completed his third One-Day hundred in no time and remained unbeaten as Pakistan made light work of the target.
Unlike his usual manner, a new-found maturity was evident in his style, thus making this a special hundred.
#6 6/38 vs Australia in Dubai, April 2009
Afridi, the leg-spinner was starting to be feared on the International Stage as he started mixing up his pace and lengths in a bid to be selected in the team as a bowler alone.
One spectacular spell of his came against the Aussies in Dubai in 2009. He dismissed Brad Haddin early before knocking off Watson's stumps. The wickets of Andrew Symonds, Callum Ferguson, Nathan Bracken and Stuart Clark followed as Australia succumbed to a splendid display of leg-spin bowling.
He then proceeded to smash a typical 15 balls 24 that included five fours to cap off a memorable all-round performance.
#5 102 off 45 balls vs India in Kanpur, April 2005
India were restricted to an average 249 batting first on a Kanpur strip in the 2005 home series against arch-rivals, Pakistan. But they had not prepared for a belligerent Shahid Afridi, who slammed the Indian bowlers to all corners of the ground.
The opener reached his hundred off 45 balls, the joint second fastest in ODI history at the time, smashing nine maximums and ten boundaries. He provided a great start for Pakistan involving in a 131 run opening stand.
The 2005 series was a much awaited one in the context of India-Pakistan matches and Afridi's knock helped Pakistan to a 3-2 lead in the series.
#4 2009 World T20 triumph
Shahid Afridi was instrumental in Pakistan's 2009 World T20 victory, winning the Man of the Match award in the semi-final as well as the final. A spectacular all-round show pushed Pakistan past South Africa in the semi-final.
Afridi hit a calculated 46 ball half-century and then went on to remove Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers in an incredible spell of spin bowling. Buoyed by the performance, he sent down another tight spell against the Lankans in the final taking 1/20 in four overs.
He then proceeded to walk in at no.3 and smashed 54 off 40 balls, once again picking and choosing the right bowlers to go after. He was the Man of the Match in the final as well and led Pakistan to their first ICC trophy since 1992.
#3 Bowling and captaincy in 2011 World Cup
Pakistan went into the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent with questions hanging over Shahid Afridi, the skipper. The all-rounder silenced all with a brilliant 5/16 in the tournament opener against Kenya and a four wicket haul against Sri Lanka.
Another five wicket haul against Canada followed and his captaincy stood out as Pakistan romped into the quarter-finals of the tournament. A four-wicket haul against the West Indies in the quarter-final put Pakistan against India in the semis, which they eventually lost.
Afridi picked up 21 wickets, joint top with India's Zaheer Khan. His captaincy which received a lot of flak prior to the Cup stood out as he led an average team to the last four. But as is the case all that was forgotten as Pakistan lost to India in the semis.
#2 Asia Cup, March 2014
The experienced Pathan endeared himself to Pakistan fans yet again with a tense chase against India in the 2014 Asia Cup. Pakistan needed nine off four balls in the final over, bowled by Ravichandran Ashwin.
Ashwin had been superb in the game, mixing his off-spinners and carrom balls. But Afridi had other ideas as he smacked him over cover for a six to bring the equation to three of three balls. Another six off long on followed as Afridi silenced the Indian fans and sent Pakistan to the finals of the tournament.
The all-rounder remained unbeaten on 34 as he kept aside his flamboyant style and resorted to intelligent batting towards the end. The manner in which he picked out Ashwin and his carrom balls stood out and proved to the difference in the end.
#1 Fastest ODI hundred in his first innings, Nairobi, October 1996
A 16-year-old Afridi had made his debut against Kenya earlier but did not get to bat. In his first innings in International Cricket, the young Afridi delivered a magical hundred, plummeting the Lankan bowlers to all corners of the boundary.
Becoming the youngest player to score an ODI century, Afridi also claimed the record for the fastest hundred in ODI cricket, off 37 balls. He slammed 11 sixes and six fours in a historic performance.
The record held its own for years until Corey Anderson of New Zealand broke it by smacking a ton in 36 balls in 2014. AB de Villiers then bettered the record with a 31 ball ton against the West Indies in 2015.
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