There's Something about Afridi

Never judge a book by its cover. Similarly, never judge a Pakistani cricketer by the fan-following he commands because at the end of the day, things will turn out the way they always does - the PCB way! The case between Shahid Afridi and PCB has reached a point where the loss would be the player's, and the board will have the last laugh.

Before we move ahead, there is something about Shahid Afridi you must know. If you want to tell something to the world, the best way to make it known to all is to tell this bloke. He knows every sports journalist (and now politicians as well) in the country and your message will get the best coverage possible. As for his comments about Karachi-Lahore rivalry, nonsense board officials, his damaged self-esteem and above all, injury-plagued team, nothing has changed in the last 2 weeks. The team is still comprised of the same old players, the coach and manager are still there, Karachi and Lahore rivalry hasn't been quashed and above all, the nonsense board officials are still working. What has changed (besides the suspension of the thick-headed Mohammad Ilyas from the selection panel!) is that Afridi’s self-esteem has suffered another dent.

The moment he met PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt over a cup of tea (on the insistence of some high-ranking government officials), the media got the wind of the meet (and you must know by now who gave them that piece of information). Every news channel in the country claimed to have been told by reliable sources about the meeting, something we must now used to. The drop scene came a few hours later when the board finally admitted to the meeting, meaning the source was really very reliable.

Shahid Afridi is not a new cricketer on the block. In fact he is one of the senior most cricketers around. But it seems his international career as a captain, a player and an all-rounder is as good as over since he has rubbed his colleagues the wrong way. He will get an NOC to play domestic Twenty20 cricket anywhere in the world, but he is likely not to represent Pakistan at the world level. Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf all had issues with board but they never made them as public as Afridi did. He must have known that his actions will please less people and irk more, but to err is Shahid Afridi. Or maybe he was carried away by the politician-like reception he got in Karachi on his return from England!

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