Shahid Afridi – Career and Personal Biography

Shahid Afridi is a former Pakistani cricketer, who is widely regarded as one of the greatest all-rounders in the history of the game. He made his debut for the Pakistan national cricket team in 1996 and went on to play for them in various formats, including Tests, One Day Internationals (ODIs), and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) until his retirement in 2018. He was known for his aggressive captaincy and his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes. He holds the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket and also holds the record of most sixes in ODI Cricket

Career

Shahid Afridi made his international debut for Pakistan in an ODI match against Kenya in October 1996. He made an immediate impact, scoring a 37-ball century, which remains the fastest century in ODI cricket history. He was primarily known for his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes.

Afridi played for Pakistan in various formats, including Tests, ODIs, and T20Is. He was a regular member of the Pakistan team and represented them in several ICC events, including the World Cup, World Twenty20, and the Champions Trophy.

In his test career, he represented Pakistan in 27 test matches, scoring 1716 runs with an average of 36.51, he took 48 wickets. In One Day Internationals, he played 398 matches and scored 8064 runs with an average of 23.57 and took 395 wickets. He also played 99 T20I match and scored 1416 runs with an average of 14.52 and took 98 wickets.

Afridi also played domestic cricket in Pakistan, representing various teams such as Pakistan International Airlines, Habib Bank Limited, and Pakistan Customs. He also played in several domestic T20 leagues around the world, such as the Indian Premier League, Caribbean Premier League, and Bangladesh Premier League.

He retired from international cricket in 2018 and since then he is heavily involved in the social work and he is also serves as a mentor and coach to various cricket teams.

Test Match

Shahid Afridi’s test match career was not as successful as his limited over career. He played 27 test matches for Pakistan between 1998-2010, where he scored 1716 runs with an average of 36.51. He took 48 wickets with an average of 57.54 and here is his career statistics for test match cricket:

• Matches: 27
• Runs scored: 1716
• Batting average: 36.51
• High score: 156
• 100s: 3
• 50s: 6
• Wickets taken: 48
• Bowling average: 57.54
• Best bowling figures: 5-52

Afridi was primarily selected as an all-rounder and his main role in the test team was to contribute with both bat and ball. However, he struggled to replicate his limited over success in the longest format of the game. He had a high score of 156 runs which came against India in 2005 and his best bowling figures of 5 for 52 also came against India in the same series.

Despite his struggles in the Test match format, he was a regular member of the test team till 2005, but after poor performance, he was dropped from the test team and was not selected again until 2010. His last test match came in 2010 against Australia, before he announced his retirement from the test cricket

One Day International (ODIs)

Shahid Afridi had a very successful career in One Day Internationals (ODIs). He played for Pakistan in 398 ODIs between 1996 and 2018, and was a regular member of the team throughout his career. He was known for his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes. He holds the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket, having scored a century off just 37 balls in his debut ODI innings.

In his ODI career, Afridi scored 8,064 runs with an average of 23.57, and had a high score of 124. He also took 395 wickets with an average of 34.51 and his best bowling figures of 5 for 11. He played in 3 World Cups, 1999, 2007 and 2011 and also played in several other ICC events, such as the Champions Trophy.

Here is his career statistics for ODI cricket:

• Matches: 398
• Runs scored: 8,064
• Batting average: 23.57
• High score: 124
• 100s: 6
• 50s: 39
• Wickets taken: 395
• Bowling average: 34.51
• Best bowling figures: 5-11
• Strike rate: 47.4
• Economy: 4.62
• Four Wickets hauls: 15
• Five Wickets hauls: 1

He was also appointed as the captain of the Pakistan ODI team on multiple occasions, leading the team in various series and tournaments. He was known for his aggressive captaincy and his ability to inspire his team to perform well.

Afridi, known as Boom Boom Afridi for his aggressive style of playing was a fan favorite and one of the most popular cricketers in Pakistan and around the world, for his charismatic personality, his aggressive and powerful batting style, and his ability to take wickets with his leg spin. He was retired from the ODI cricket in 2015 and left a great legacy in the history of cricket.

Twenty20 International (T20Is)

Shahid Afridi also had a successful career in Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for Pakistan. He played 99 T20Is between 2006 and 2018 and was a regular member of the team throughout his career. He was known for his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes, and his ability to take wickets with his leg spin.

In his T20I career, Afridi scored 1,416 runs with an average of 14.52 and had a high score of 54 not out. He also took 98 wickets with an average of 24.44, and his best bowling figures of 4-11. He played in 2 T20 World Cup 2007 and 2010, and also played in several other T20 tournaments.

Here is his career statistics for T20I cricket:

• Matches: 99
• Runs scored: 1,416
• Batting average: 14.52
• High score: 54*
• 50s: 1
• Wickets taken: 98
• Bowling average: 24.44
• Best bowling figures: 4-11
• Strike rate: 21.7
• Economy: 6.86
• Four Wickets hauls: 3

He was also appointed as the captain of the Pakistan T20I team on multiple occasions, leading the team in various series and tournaments. He was known for his aggressive captaincy and his ability to inspire his team to perform well.

Indian Premier League (IPL)

Shahid Afridi played in the Indian Premier League (IPL) as a foreign player for several teams over the course of his career. He was a part of the league since it’s first edition in 2008, where he represented Deccan Chargers. He played for Deccan Chargers in 2008 and 2009, Then he was picked by the Kochi Tuskers Kerala in 2011, but the team played only for a season before being dissolved. Then he played for Pune Warriors India in 2012, and Sunrisers Hyderabad in 2017.

Afridi didn’t have a particularly successful career in the IPL, as his role was mainly as an all-rounder and his performances with both bat and ball were inconsistent. In total, he played for five seasons, and played 23 matches, scored 253 runs with an average of 15.18 and took 24 wickets with an average of 34.29 with the best of 3-15.

In general, Afridi was considered a T20 specialist and his most successful campaigns were the ones where he was able to take wickets and score runs in the middle-order. He was a fan favorite and known for his aggressive style of playing, however he was not able to replicate his success in International cricket in the IPL.

Caribbean Premier League (CPL)

Shahid Afridi played in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) as a foreign player for one team in his career. He played for Jamaica Tallawahs during the 2016 season of the league.

During the CPL season Afridi played in 8 games, scored 84 runs with an average of 21, he took 8 wickets with an average of 21.62 and his best bowling figures of 2-24. He had good performance in the limited opportunities he got.

The 2016 season of the CPL was not much successful for the Jamaica Tallawahs team, and the team did not qualify for the playoffs. But Afridi’s individual performance gave some spark and he was able to grab some crucial wickets and also he contributed some runs. He was a great addition to the team and was quite popular among the fans.

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)

Shahid Afridi played in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as a foreign player for several teams over the course of his career. He made his BPL debut in 2012 and represented the Dhaka Gladiators team in the first two seasons of the league.

In his first season with Dhaka Gladiators, Afridi played in 11 games, scored 156 runs with an average of 18.00 and took 15 wickets with an average of 17.73 and his best bowling figures of 3-23, it was a great season for him as he helped the team to reach the finals.

In 2013, Shahid Afridi played for the Chittagong Kings and played in 10 games, scored 150 runs with an average of 18.75, took 12 wickets with an average of 22.75, his best figures of 2-23.

Afridi played for the Rangpur Riders team during the 2017 and 2018 season, in the 2017 season he played in 9 games and scored 124 runs with an average of 20.66, took 8 wickets with an average of 25.37, and his best figures of 2-26. In the 2018 season he played in 6 games, scored 65 runs with an average of 32.50 and took 7 wickets with an average of 22.57, his best figures of 2-23.

Afridi was one of the most popular player in the league and well-known for his aggressive style of playing and was able to provide good performance for the teams he represented, he helped the teams to reach the playoffs in several seasons. His performances were key for the teams in several matches as he was able to score runs and take wickets in crucial moments.

Pakistan Super League (PSL)

Shahid Afridi played in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) as a foreign player for several teams over the course of his career.

He played for Lahore Qalandars team in 2016, 2017, 2018 and 2019 seasons, He served as a captain in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. In the 2016 and 2017 seasons, he played in 8 games, scored 118 runs with an average of 17.00 and took 6 wickets with an average of 32.83, best figures of 2-27. In the 2018 and 2019 seasons he played in 7 games, scored 129 runs with an average of 32.25 and took 6 wickets with an average of 31.50, his best figures of 2-18.

He also played for Multan Sultans team in 2020 and 2021 seasons, he played in 5 games in 2020 and scored 39 runs with an average of 13.00 and took 3 wickets with an average of 30.33, best figures of 2-24.

In the 2021 season, he retired from all forms of cricket, and it was his last professional league appearance.

Afridi was known for his aggressive style of playing and was one of the most popular cricketers in Pakistan and around the world, however he wasn’t able to replicate his international success in the PSL, but his performances were consistent, He was a great addition to the team and was quite popular among the fans.

Domestic

Shahid Afridi played domestic cricket for several teams in Pakistan throughout his career.

He started his domestic career with Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) team and then moved to Habib Bank Limited (HBL) team. He played for HBL for several seasons and established himself as one of the best all-rounders in domestic cricket. He then played for Pakistan Customs team before his retirement.

Afridi represented these teams in various domestic tournaments such as the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the National One Day Cup, and the National T20 Cup.

He was a very successful domestic player and known for his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes, and his ability to take wickets with his leg spin. He also captained several of these teams and was known for his aggressive captaincy and his ability to inspire his team to perform well.

He was also a regular member of the Pakistan A team and played several matches against other A teams from different countries. He was also a part of the Pakistan U-19 team and played a major role in their success in the youth level competitions.

Domestic cricket was an important platform for Afridi to showcase his skills and performances in domestic cricket helped him to cement his place in the national team and also to establish himself as one of the most exciting and dynamic all-rounders in the world.

Achievements

Shahid Afridi is one of the most successful cricketers in Pakistan’s history and has a number of notable achievements to his name. Here are some of his main achievements:

• Fastest century in One Day International (ODI) history (off 37 balls)
• Most sixes in ODIs (471)
• Most player of the match awards in ODIs (53)
• Most wickets in T20Is (98)
• Most man of the match awards in T20Is (17)
• ICC ODI Player of the Year award (2010)
• Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World (2010)
• PCB ODI Player of the Year award (2010)
• PCB T20 Player of the Year award (2010, 2011)
• PCB Lifetime Achievement Award (2015)
• Most sixes in T20Is (89)

Afridi has a great record of most sixes in ODI and T20Is and fastest century in ODI history. He has played for Pakistan for many years and had great contribution in several formats. He was a great All-rounder and had a huge impact on Pakistani cricket, he is widely regarded as one of the most exciting and dynamic all-rounders of his generation, and left a great legacy in the history of Pakistani cricket.

International Honours

Shahid Afridi has won several honors and awards throughout his international career for his performances for the Pakistan national cricket team.

• Wisden Leading Cricketer in the World: 2010
• ICC ODI Player of the Year: 2010
• PCB ODI Player of the Year: 2010
• PCB T20 Player of the Year: 2010, 2011
• PCB Lifetime Achievement Award: 2015

Afridi also holds several records in international cricket such as the fastest century in ODI cricket and the most number of sixes in ODI cricket, These records were part of his aggressive and powerful batting style, particularly his ability to hit a high number of sixes, He was one of the most exciting and dynamic all-rounders of his generation.

Personal Life

Shahid Afridi is a well-known cricket personality in Pakistan and around the world. He is also known for his philanthropy and social work, aside from his cricket career.

Afridi is married to Nadia Afridi and they have five daughters together. Afridi is quite private about his personal life and doesn’t share much information in media but it is known that he is a religious person and has strong faith in Allah.

Afridi is involved in several charitable organizations and social welfare causes in Pakistan, He has been working for the welfare of underprivileged children, providing education and health facilities. He has also been involved in providing relief for natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes. He has also been actively involved in various initiatives for poverty reduction and has been working for the development of poor communities.

Afridi’s philanthropic efforts have been widely recognized and praised by media and public, He is also known as “Lala” which is affectionately used for elder person, and has a huge fan following in Pakistan as well as around the world.