BLOG: Why Shahid Afridi deserves a farewell

There is much debate on whether Shahid Afridi deserves to play a farewell T20 match or not. The cricketer who is known the world over as ‘Boom Boom’ has a loyal fan following while at the same time he has been called selfish and arrogant by several cricket pundits.

I have always been on the fence when it came to Afridi. For me, his failures greatly outweighed his triumphs. Countless times ‘Boom Boom’ failed to deliver because he refused to change his sloggers approach to batting. There were several instances where I wished I could have asked him: ‘why Afridi why?’

So when I woke up this morning the last thing on my mind was Shahid Afridi. He was already a player of the past. But then a video on Facebook reminded me that despite the pain he had caused, Shahid Afridi was a game changer and one of the few Pakistani cricketers capable of snatching victory from the clutches of defeat.

So what was in this video which made me change my mind?

Remember the time in 2014 when Pakistan was playing India in the Asia Cup and needed nine runs of the last four balls? When all seemed lost and with only Afridi and Junaid Khan left on the crease, it was ‘Boom Boom’ who lived up to his billing. Shahid Afridi smashed two consecutive sixes, and just like that the match was over.

Watching this video clip made me realise that this is Shahid Afridi we are talking about and there should be no question on him getting to play a farewell match. Let’s not forget that it was Afridi who won us the T20 world cup against all odds. When it mattered the most Shahid Afridi delivered.  He was named man-of-the-match in Pakistan’s semi-final win against South Africa and then against Sri Lanka in the final. Had it not been for Shahid Afridi, Pakistan would not have won the T20 World Cup, depriving the nation of a great moment in its sport history.

So as the debate on letting Afridi play heats up, just remember that despite his shortcomings he is truly one of greatest sport heroes Pakistan has seen and deserves a befitting end to his career.

Views of author do not reflect that of Geo News