Shahid Afridi bids adieu to international cricket
Pakistani all-rounder Shahid Afridi announced his retirement from international cricket, putting an end to his 21-year cricketing career. He said that he would keep playing for the PSL, but would not be a part of Pakistan's T20 international team. He had earlier announced his retirement from tests and ODI.
Shahid Afridi
Shahid Afridi is a Pakistani cricketer who made his ODI debut as a 16-year old in 1996 against Kenya. An all-rounder, he considers himself a better bowler than batsman. He has represented Pakistan in 27 tests before announcing retirement from the format in July 2010. Afridi has scored 1716 runs in test matches, hitting five hundreds in his career.
Shahid Afridi's remarkable ODI career
Shahid Afridi is known as one of the most aggressive batsmen in ODI cricket. He has represented Pakistan in 398 ODI matches, scoring 8064 runs, and has picked up 395 wickets. In his second ODI match, he hit fastest ODI century, in 37 deliveries. That record remained un-broken for the next 17 years. He also led the ODI team in 34 matches.
Unique records for the Pakistani all-rounder
The 36-year old holds record for hitting most sixes in ODI matches. He has hit 351 sixes and is followed by Sanath Jayasuriya, who has 270 sixes. He is also the leading wicket taker in T20 internationals, with 97 wickets from 98 matches.
Controversy's favorite child, Shahid Afridi
In 2005, he was banned from a test and two ODI matches after he was found guilty of deliberately damaging the pitch by scrapping his boots on the pitch. He was banned again from two T20 matches after pleading guilty of ball tampering. Afridi faced a lot of backlash during 2016 World T20 when he said Pakistan team received more love in India.
The retirement saga of Shahid Afridi
Afridi announced temporary retirement from test cricket in April 2006 to focus on shorter format of game. However, he took back the decision in June 2006. He retired from test cricket in 2010. In May 2011, he announced conditional retirement from cricket saying that he would return only if there is a change in Pakistan Cricket Board's chairman. In October, he withdrew his retirement.
Retirement from ODI cricket
After Pakistan crashed out of the 2015 ICC World Cup, Afridi announced his retirement from the format to focus only on the T20 games. In 2016, the Pakistan Cricket Board wanted him to retire from all formats of the game.
Shahid's statement in a press conference
"I have said goodbye to international cricket. I am playing for my fans and will continue to play this league (PSL) for another two years but it's goodbye from international cricket. I have played with seriousness and in a professional way for my country."
