Cricket Bloggers of Pakistan

He may be a bit of a psycho when it comes to ODIs and T20 cricket. However, with the current circumstances that Pakistan team finds itself in – lack of firepower int he bowling department and no allrounders to speak of – the stage is set for Shahid Afridi to be handed his Test recall. Why he was sent back from India post ODIs is anyone’s guess, and why Yasir Arafat was prefered over him is someone else’s (maybe with the injuries to pacers, Arafat was deemed a smarter choice. Fair enough).

Afridi may not be as reliable as Misbah-ul-Haq or Faisal Iqbal even, but he does provide a)flexibility, b)a bowling option, and a good one at that, and a handy backup to Danish Kaneria who seems to be bowling throughout the innings once the shine comes off the ball, and c) an attacking option in the batting order.

His recent record isnt that bad either. Last 10 Test matches, he has scored 757 runs with 3 centuries and 3 fifties. Against India, his last five innings have yielded 2 centuries and a fifty. Add a few wickets here and there and we might have seen a different outcome to the Pak-SA series if he had been selected over Abdur Rehman (who did emerge as Pakistan’s most successful bowler, however).