Shahid Khan Afridi Still Got Cricket In Him: Saleem Jaffar

Saturday, October 25, 2008 at 7:23 pm under Sports News Shahid Khan Afridi Still Got Cricket In Him: Saleem Jaffar

KARACHI: Chief Selector Saleem Jaffar reckons that flamboyant all-rounder Shahid Khan Afridi still got cricket in him despite his indifferent batting form.

“Afridi is utility cricketer and currently he is playing a bowling all-rounder,” he said in an interview with a local news agency at national Stadium on Saturday while watching the opening day’s play in Pentangular Cup match between Sindh and Federal Areas.

28-year-old Shahid Afridi, who hammered the ODIs history’s 37 balls century against Sri Lanka in Kenya 1996, is struggling with the bat. He scored 133 runs in last ten ODIs innings and could mustered just 27 runs in Quadrangular Twenty20 Canada Cup in Toronto.

“He (Afridi) is going through a lean batting patch. But he is bowling superbly,” he commented. Saleem Jaffar who took over the Chief Selector after resignation of Salahuddin Ahmed, said Afridi was batting all-rounder in the past.

“But in the recent past he emerged as bowling all-rounder and won some matches with his bowling in One-day Internationals and Twenty20 International.

“In addition to his bowling, Afridi is also very good fielder which is important factors in the modern day cricket,” he remarked.

“Like any followers of the game around the world, selectors are looking to return of batting form. That is very important for us,” he asserted.

“Afridi is natural hitter of the ball and he likes to hit sixes. He is lobbying the ball in the air which proving fatal for him,” he said.

But Saleem Jaffar declared that Shahid Afridi is very good and productive ODI cricketer and he would personally like to have him in the Pakistan team.

Shahid Afridi is fully aware of batting form and wanted to reestablish himself as batting all-rounder instead of bowling all-rounder.

Next month’s one-day series may be another test of batting skill in Abu Dhabi.

Written by: Munawar

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