‘Boom boom’ Shahid Afridi times his entrance to perfection

Tom Collomosse
22 Jun 2009

Shahid Afridi showed England what is required to succeed in Twenty20 cricket by producing another brilliant performance to lead Pakistan to their first major title since the 1992 World Cup.

Afridi followed his stunning all-round display in Pakistan's semi-final victory over South Africa with another marvellous display in their eight-wicket win in the World Twenty20 Final against Sri Lanka at Lord's.

After a splendid tournament, three weeks of action-packed excitement, cricket followers' thoughts now turn to the Ashes, with England expected to omit ex-captain Michael Vaughan when they announce a 16-man training squad for the series today.

Yet until England find a cricketer like Afridi, their chances of success at the Twenty20 bash are remote. Paul Collingwood's side defeated Pakistan easily in the early stages of the competition but that was before Boom Boom' Afridi started to make himself heard.

Andrew Flintoff is England's most obvious answer to the sensational Afridi but there are nagging doubts over the Lancashire all-rounder's long-term fitness.

Stuart Broad's ability to hit the ball a long way and bowl hostile spells make him a contender, while Adil Rashid's leg-spin and competent batting mean he could also stake a claim.

Yet it is Afridi's timing — like that of his team — which marked him out as a special player in this tournament.

The best sportsmen always do the business when it really matters, and in his last two matches Afridi scored 105 runs and took three wickets for 36 from eight overs.

Afridi returned figures of one for 20 in the Final thanks to a venomous spell of leg-spin bowling, before scoring 54 not out from 40 balls; an innings as exhilarating for its flamboyance as it was for its maturity.

The worry for Pakistan cricket, however, is that aspiring players back home will not be able to see Afridi and Co in action.

It is unlikely that Pakistan will play international matches in their own country for the foreseeable future, following the terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore earlier this year. Indeed, next year's home' Test series against Australia could even be staged in England.

The joyous reaction to Pakistan's win — the roads outside Lord's were gridlocked after the game as jubilant supporters waved flags and sounded klaxons — showed the level of support that exists in this country. But outgoing captain Younus Khan is desperate for international cricket to return to his country.

“I am requesting to all of the countries: you must come to Pakistan,” said Younus, who announced his retirement from Twenty20 after the game.

“Everybody knows law and order is not good but it is not our fault. Especially for youngsters, we need home series because there is no international cricket in Pakistan. How can we motivate the youngsters, especially at school level and college level?

“I think this will help us build a new structure in Pakistan for our future.

“How can we promote cricket to our youngsters if there is no international game in Pakistan?

“How can I motivate my son and my neighbours' small children? That's why we need cricket in Pakistan.”