If there is one word to describe Shahid Afridi’s batting technique then it’s aggressive. Nicknamed “Boom Boom” for the fastest ODI century Afridi has an all or nothing approach to batting and when his aggression rubs off the bowling attack usually has no chance of pulling him back.
His ODI strike rate when batting is an incredible 109.38 better than anybody else in the game. At the top of the order, when it works, Afridi’s batting can win a game for Pakistan in minutes. In test match cricket he doesn’t make himself any less attacking. But a maverick he is. Attacking crowd members with bats and walking all over a cricket pitch are just two of several disciplinary incidents that he and the ICC have addressed in the past few years.
His bowling is also a very useful tool for Pakistan. In ODI cricket he can pull batsman in with fast spells of spin. His quicker ball can reach up to 70mph of just a few paces. In test cricket Pakistan use him more as a bowler who can bring run rates down and take the odd wicket. He’s had various un-successful spells at different counties in England. There’s one thing about Afridi you will always be entertained when he gets going.
