After being overlooked for the recently completed solitary T20I against England, former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has quashed aside retirement talks and also managed to leave a journalist dumbfounded by coming up with a brash response to question on his fitness.
Speaking to local reporters on the sidelines of an exhibition match, the 36-year old was confronted with a tricky query on his present fitness state. However, he did not back down and instead came out of it with a hilarious riposte.
In a nonchalant manner, Afridi dismissed doubts surrounding his advancing age by claiming, “I can still handle 10 guys like you alone.“ Currently participating in the National T20 Cup, the leg-spinner’s international future has been shrouded in uncertainty.
Famous for retiring and then making surprising comebacks, he brought an end to his 19-year ODI career in the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup. But, the hard hitter remained confident of returning to action in the game’s shortest format.
Afridi maintained, “I am currently focusing on performing in domestic and county cricket. However, when I feel I cannot play anymore, I will retire on my own terms rather than allowing anyone to throw me out.”
Despite their success in whites, Pakistan’s limited-overs sides have been in free fall for quite some time. With ODI skipper Azhar Ali under fire for their dwindling performances, the veteran called for T20I captain Sarfraz Ahmed to settle into his role before taking charge of the 50-overs team as well.
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He felt, “Azhar was not able to deliver in the series against England but media should also refrain from heaping further pressure on him. Sarfraz did exceptionally well as a captain in the one-off T20I against England but he should be given time to prove himself an asset in the long run. He was aggressive in his captaincy and we need that.”
Often labeled as an unpredictable character, Afridi’s career has been a roller-coaster ride with unforeseen highs mixed alongside tempestuous lows. However, he asked for his experience to be taken into account before being criticized.
‘Boom Boom’ lamented, “Our media makes a hero out of a player on the basis of just one performance and at times they pull down a senior player with 20 plus years of experience after one match or one series.”
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