Shahid Afridi: Pakistan Cricket's only superstar

There are certain names that fill stadiums, grab all the headlines and have fans and neutrals alike the world over, who stop what they’re doing and switch on their televisions. Those names belong to players, who have worked their way, to superstar status. In the past people would rush to catch a glimpse of Sir Donald Bradman, Sir Vivian Richards, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan and Wasim Akram, even if they were on the opposing team. Fans of the game remember them even to this very day. In the modern game there are plenty of superstars as well. The explosive rebel, Chris Gayle, the Australian pair of, Brett Lee, and, Shane Watson, Hashim Amla, and, Dale Steyn of South Africa, half the Indian team from Yuvraj Singh to Mahendra Singh Dhoni, Sachin Tendulkar to Virender Sehwag. Yet Pakistan, once renowned for having an abundance of superstars, seems to have fallen behind. Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq, Inzamam-ul-Haq – the list of past superstars goes on and on, but how many can one name in the present Pakistan squad? Would people go or even bother changing the channel to watch Mohammad Hafeez? Or maybe watch Asad Shafiq? Even the more well known names fail to raise excitement levels. Saeed Ajmal, who although is a consistent wicket taker, does not carry with him the flair and flamboyance that can pull the masses in, and one can only groan in agony anytime the painfully slow, Misbah-ul-Haq, makes his way to the crease. Yes, there is Pakistan’s wicket keeper, Kamran Akmal, though the player is famous for the wrong reasons. Dropped catches and missed chances do not bring the type of attention one wishes. Contrast that with West Indies batsman, Chris Gayle, and his recent demolition of opposition bowlers in the Indian Premier League. Whether one was a fan or not, the cricketing world would stop and proceed to watch the batsman. Why? Because he was exciting, because he was special and most importantly because he gave the fans what they wanted to see. Long gone are the days Shoaib Akhtar would storm in to bowl deliveries that flew at the batsmen at over 140 kilometres per hour, or when Wasim Akram would create unreal swing. The only name that still gets fans interested in Pakistan cricket is their talismanic One Day International captain, Shahid Khan Afridi. His exploits in the recently concluded ICC World Cup was the pinnacle in his, how to put this, exhilarating professional career. Scoring the fastest century in cricketing history on his debut, Afridi never compromised on his attacking batting, be it for better or for worse. It made him a household name not only in Pakistan but anywhere the game of cricket was played. Afridi’s aggression, ability to turn games on its head earlier with the bat and more recently with the ball, have not only propelled him to international stardom but also has fans pause just for a second to check if Afridi is on the crease or not. In Pakistan, when Afridi gets dismissed so does 25% of the crowd. It is not all doom and gloom though, as the Cornered Tigers are producing two more potential superstars, Wahab Riaz, and, Umar Akmal. Akmal unlike his brother is an exciting prospect, while the verdict on Wahab is still out after limited performances for the side. Yet if anyone was asked to make a fantasy team consisting of the best players in the world, one can safely say that Shahid Afridi would be the only Pakistan player on the roster and that is why he is Pakistan’s only superstar.

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Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab

The batting gurus of Rajasthan Royals include Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Shane Watson and Johan Botha.

Rahul Dravid

Dravid, who has ruled the world of cricket for so many years, has a rock-solid defence with an extremely strong technique. With a combination of outstanding cricketing strokes all around the wicket, Dravid has the quality to rotate the strike well in the limited-over cricket. The Batsman has scored tons of runs in international cricket and his experience allows him to play well in every format of the game.

Dravid is considered to be one of the classiest batsman India has ever produced. Although, the veteran campaigner has a strike rate of under-43 in Test cricket, Dravid has the quality to convert his game according to the situation. With a strike rate of almost 120 in Twenty20 games, Dravid has scored 1288 runs in his 57 game.

Ross Taylor

The Kiwi is one of the most brutal batsmen in modern-day cricket. With an ability to destroy any bowling attack on his day, Taylor has emerged as a dangerous limited-over player. An aggressive middle-order batsman, Taylor is fully capable to take up the challenge against top-class bowlers. Taylor’s strongest scoring area is the leg-side where he hits mighty sixes. With his powerful hitting, the Kiwi can change the course of the game within few moments. However, he hasn't shown much of his class so far in the ongoing tournament.

One can remember his marvellous knock of 131 from just 124 balls in the ICC World Cup 2011 group match against Pakistan, where he single-handedly snatched the game away from the opposition. Having played 106 Twenty20 matches, the Kiwi batsman has scored 2687 runs at an awesome strike rate of almost 150.

Shane Watson

Watson is an experienced and talented Aussie all-rounder, who is known as the most devastating cricketer in the today’s cricket. His recent innings of 185 not out against Bangladesh is regarded as one of best innings of one-day history. With an outstanding command on multiple strokes, Watson does not allow bowlers to settle down and loves to take the charge from the very first ball of the innings.

After missing opening IPL matches due to the Australia-Bangladesh one-day series, Watson reached India with huge expectations. However, the batsman has not yet capitalized the situation, failing to make big scores in the previous two matches. A player of his calibre can turn the game anytime with his destructive batting. He has played 57 Twenty20 matches, scoring 1418 runs at a fabulous strike rate of almost 150.

Johan Botha

Although the Proteas all-rounder is known for his controlled spin bowling, he has improved his batting a great deal over the last few years. Botha’s cricketing career is an interesting case; he started playing cricket as a medium-pacer but then turned himself into an off-break bowler.

Botha showed a little glimpse of his batting talent by scoring a fantastic half-century in his first season IV game. In his 71 Twenty20 matches, Botha holds a strike rate of over 115. With his hard hitting low down the order, Botha will surely be one of Rajasthan’s players to watch out for.

Comparing the two batting line-ups, it is evident that both teams have experienced and skilled batsmen in their set-up.

The venue, Mohali Stadium, has a marvellous batting track. Thus, a high scoring match can be anticipated. With some quality batsmen in both teams, the show will definitely be entertaining. Meanwhile, it will be interesting to see that how these batting masters use their expertise to take their side to the glory.

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