Shahid Afridi facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Shahid Afridi

Afridi in August 2017
Personal information
Full name	Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi
Born	(1977-03-01) 1 March 1977 (age 48) Tirah, Khyber Agency, Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan
Nickname	Boom Boom, Lala
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Batting	Right-handed
Bowling	Right-arm leg spin
Role	All-rounder
Relations	Ashfaq Afridi (brother) Tariq Afridi (brother) Irfan Afridi (nephew) Shaheen Afridi (son-in-law)
International information
National sides	Pakistan (1996–2016) World XI (2018)
Test debut (cap 153)	22 October 1998  Pakistan v Australia
Last Test	13 July 2010  Pakistan v Australia
ODI debut (cap 109)	2 October 1996  Pakistan v Kenya
Last ODI	20 March 2015  Pakistan v Australia
ODI shirt no.	10
T20I debut (cap 8)	28 August 2006  Pakistan v England
Last T20I	31 May 2018  World XI v West Indies
T20I shirt no.	10
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1995/96–2015/16	Karachi
1997/98–2016/17	Habib Bank Limited
2007/08–2008/09, 2014	Sindh
2011–2012, 2016–2017	Hampshire
2012, 2017, 2019/20	Dhaka Platoon
2016–2017	Peshawar Zalmi
2018	Karachi Kings
2019–2021	Multan Sultans
2022	Quetta Gladiators
2008	Deccan Chargers
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 27 398 99 113 Runs scored 1,716 8,064 1,416 5,695 Batting average 36.51 23.57 17.92 31.46 100s/50s 5/8 6/39 0/4 12/31 Top score 156 124 54* 164 Balls bowled 3,194 17,670 2,168 13,657 Wickets 48 395 98 266 Bowling average 35.60 34.51 24.44 26.68 5 wickets in innings 1 9 0 8 10 wickets in match 0 0 0 0 Best bowling 5/52 7/12 4/11 6/101 Catches/stumpings 10/– 127/– 30/– 78/–
Medal record Men's cricket Representing  Pakistan ICC Cricket World Cup Runner-up 1999 England-Wales -Ireland-Scotland-Netherlands ICC T20I World Cup Winner 2009 England Runner-up 2007 South Africa ACC Asia Cup Winner 2000 Bangladesh Winner 2012 Bangladesh Runner-up 2014 Bangladesh
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 1 June 2018
Signature

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (Urdu: شاہد افریدی‎, Pashto: شاهد افریدی; born 1 March 1977) is a famous Pakistani former cricketer. He also captained the Pakistan national cricket team. Afridi was known as an all-rounder, meaning he was good at both batting and bowling. He was a right-handed leg spinner and a right-handed batsman.

Afridi played his first One Day International (ODI) match in 1996 against Kenya. In his very next ODI game against Sri Lanka, he made history. He scored the fastest century in ODI cricket at that time, reaching 100 runs in just 37 balls!

He made his Test cricket debut in 1998 against Australia. Later, in 2006, Afridi played his first Twenty20 International (T20I) match against England. He was named the best player of the 2007 T20 World Cup. In the final of the 2009 T20 World Cup, Afridi was the player of the match. He scored 54 runs and took a wicket, helping Pakistan win the championship.

After Pakistan's win in 2009, Afridi became the captain for T20I matches. In 2010, he also became the captain for ODI matches. He led the Pakistan team to the semi-finals of the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Afridi retired from ODI cricket in 2015. He stepped down as T20I captain after the 2016 T20 World Cup. On 19 February 2017, Afridi announced his retirement from all international cricket. He briefly returned in 2018 for a charity match, then retired again on 31 May 2018.

Afridi also runs his own charity called the Shahid Afridi Foundation. It helps provide education and healthcare. He has worked with UNICEF to support anti-polio campaigns in Pakistan. During the 2019 Coronavirus pandemic, he helped people in Balochistan during the lockdown. He was even named one of the top 20 most charitable athletes in 2015.

Early Life and Family

Afridi was born on 1 March 1977, in Khyber Agency, Pakistan. He belongs to the Afridi tribe of Pashtuns.

His family has a history of spiritual leaders. His grandfather, Maulana Muhammad Ilyas, was a well-known spiritual figure. Afridi has six brothers, including cricketers Tariq Afridi and Ashfaq Afridi, and five sisters. He is the fifth oldest among his siblings.

Afridi says his uncle, a colonel in the Pakistan Army, introduced him to sports and cricket. He was inspired by Imran Khan's captaincy during the 1992 Cricket World Cup. Afridi learned from that World Cup to never be afraid of failure.

He is married to his cousin, Nadia Afridi, and they have five daughters. In 2021, his daughter Ansha got engaged to cricketer Shaheen Afridi. They were married on 3 February 2023.

Playing Cricket for Teams

Starting in Pakistan

Afridi joined the Pakistan senior national team after playing well in the under-19 championships from 1994–95. Playing for Karachi Whites, he helped his team win a title. He took 42 wickets in five matches, which is a great achievement for a bowler.

Playing Around the World

Afridi also played for different teams in other countries. In 2001, he played for Leicestershire in England. He scored many runs and took wickets for them. He also played for Derbyshire County Cricket Club in 2003.

IPL Career

Afridi played in the first season of the IPL in 2008 for Deccan Chargers. He played 10 matches, scoring 81 runs and taking 9 wickets. He did not play in the 2009 IPL.

Pakistan Super League

In the 2016 PSL, Afridi was the captain and an important player for Peshawar Zalmi. He later became the president of Peshawar Zalmi. Before the 2017 PSL, he stepped down as captain, and Daren Sammy took over. Peshawar Zalmi went on to win the title that year.

After leaving Peshawar Zalmi, Afridi joined Karachi Kings for the 2018 PSL. He was also made the president of Karachi Kings. Later, he joined the Multan Sultans and played for them until 2021. For the 2022 PSL, Afridi played for Quetta Gladiators, which he announced would be his last PSL season.

Other Leagues

Afridi played for many other cricket leagues around the world. These included:

• Kent in England (2004)
• Southern Redbacks in Australia (2009–10)
• Ruhuna Royals in Sri Lanka (2012)
• Northamptonshire Steelbacks in England (2015)
• Rangpur Riders in Bangladesh (2016–17)
• St Kitts and Nevis Patriots in the Caribbean Premier League (2015)
• Paktia Panthers in Afghanistan (2018)
• Brampton Wolves in Canada (2019)
• Dhaka Platoon in Bangladesh (2019–20)
• Galle Gladiators in Sri Lanka (2020)
• Rawalakot Hawks in the Kashmir Premier League (2021), where he led them to victory.
• Kathmandu Kings XI in Nepal (2021)

T10 Franchise Career

In 2017, Afridi became a brand ambassador for the new T10 League in the UAE. He also captained Team Pakhtoons. He later joined Qalandars in 2020. Afridi also launched his own T10 league called the Mega Stars League in 2022.

International Cricket Journey

Early Days and Big Records

In October 1996, Afridi joined the ODI team. He played his first match on 2 October against Kenya. In his next match against Sri Lanka, he batted at number three. In his very first international innings, Afridi broke the record for the fastest century in ODI cricket. He reached 100 runs in just 37 balls! He also hit eleven sixes in that innings, which was a record at the time. Pakistan won the match, and Afridi was named man of the match. This record was later broken in 2014.

Afridi with his teammates during the 2009 World Twenty20 in June 2009

Two years after his ODI debut, Afridi played his first Test match on 22 October 1998, against Australia. He had already played 66 ODIs before his first Test, which was a record then. In his second Test match, against India, Afridi scored his first Test century, making 141 runs.

Becoming a Key Player

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Afridi's Test match batting career up to 30 December 2007, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line)

In March 2005, Afridi helped Pakistan win a Test match against India. He scored a quick half-century and took five wickets. In April, he scored another very fast ODI century, reaching 100 runs in 45 balls against India. Pakistan's coach, Bob Woolmer, helped Afridi improve his batting.

On 21 November 2005, Afridi was banned for one Test match and two ODIs. This happened because he was seen deliberately damaging the pitch during a match against England. He admitted to breaking the rules of the game.

In 2007, Afridi was suspended for four ODI games because of an incident with a spectator. This meant he missed Pakistan's first two matches in the 2007 World Cup.

In the 2007 World Twenty20, Afridi did not score many runs but took many wickets. He was named the Man of the Series. In the next T20 World Cup, Afridi played very well. He scored 50 runs in the semi-final and 54 runs in the final, helping Pakistan win the World Cup.

Leading the Team (2009–2011)

After Pakistan won the 2009 T20 World Cup, the captain, Younis Khan, retired from T20 cricket. Shahid Afridi was then chosen as the new T20I captain. In 2010, he took 6 wickets for 38 runs against Australia, which was voted the Best ODI Bowling Performance of 2009.

On 31 January 2010, Afridi was seen on camera biting the cricket ball during a match in Australia. He admitted to changing the ball's condition unfairly and was banned from two T20 international matches.

In March 2010, Afridi was also made the ODI captain. He led Pakistan in the 2010 Asia Cup. He scored two centuries in his first three matches as ODI captain and was the highest run-scorer in the tournament.

On 25 May 2010, Afridi became captain of the national team in all three types of cricket. He briefly returned to Test cricket but retired again in July 2010, saying he lacked the right mindset for Test matches. Later, during a controversy involving some players, Afridi confirmed he had refused to be involved in any unfair practices.

Afridi in the field during a 50-over warm-up match against Somerset at the County Ground, Taunton, during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England

In December 2010, Pakistan played against New Zealand. Afridi became the first cricketer to take 50 international wickets in T20Is. He also became the first player to achieve both 500 runs and 50 wickets in T20 Internationals.

Afridi was chosen as Pakistan's captain for the 2011 World Cup. In Pakistan's first match, he took 5 wickets for 16 runs against Kenya, which was the best bowling performance by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup. He took 21 wickets in the tournament, making him the joint-leading wicket-taker. Pakistan reached the semi-finals but lost to India.

After the World Cup, there were disagreements between Afridi and the coach, Waqar Younis. In May 2011, Afridi was replaced as ODI captain. He then announced his temporary retirement from international cricket. However, he later withdrew his retirement and returned to play for Pakistan.

Retirement and Return (2011–2015)

In November 2011, Afridi became the only cricketer to score a half-century and take five wickets in two separate ODI matches. He also became the first person to play 50 T20Is.

In 2013, during an ODI game against the West Indies, Afridi scored 76 runs and then took 7 wickets for only 12 runs. These were the second-best ODI bowling figures ever!

Afridi announced his retirement from ODI cricket after the 2015 Cricket World Cup. Pakistan was eliminated in the quarter-finals.

2016 ICC World Twenty20

In March 2016, Pakistan did not reach the semi-finals of the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. Afridi later announced he was stepping down as T20I captain but would continue to play. Sarfraz Ahmed was appointed as the new T20I captain.

Final Retirement

In February 2017, Afridi announced his retirement from all international cricket. In April 2018, he briefly returned to captain a World XI team in a charity match. After that match, he confirmed he would not be making a comeback to international cricket for Pakistan.

After Cricket

Cricket Administration

On 24 December 2022, Afridi was named the temporary chief selector for the Pakistani cricket team. His role lasted until the end of the series against New Zealand. He was offered a longer role but declined due to his charity work.

Business Ventures

In February 2022, Afridi opened a restaurant called Lala Darbar in Dubai. He described it as an "authentic desi restaurant chain." In 2023, Afridi also launched his own menswear fashion brand, the Shahid Afridi Store.

How He Played

Afridi bowling his stock leg-spin delivery

Batting Style

Afridi was known for his very aggressive and attacking batting style. Because of this, Indian cricketer Ravi Shastri nicknamed him "Boom Boom." He scored six ODI centuries, including two of the fastest in history (37 and 45 balls). His ODI strike rate was very high, meaning he scored runs very quickly.

He was famous for hitting long sixes and holds the record for the most sixes in ODI cricket history. However, his aggressive style sometimes meant he got out quickly, making him an inconsistent batsman. He is the only player to score over 8,000 ODI runs with an average below 30.

On 22 August 2017, Afridi scored his first century in Twenty20 matches. He made 101 runs for Hampshire.

Bowling Style

Afridi started as a fast bowler but switched to spin bowling. He learned from Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir. Afridi considered himself a bowler first. He took 541 international wickets in his career, mostly in ODIs. His main bowling style was leg break, but he also bowled googlies and a "quicker one" that could reach speeds of about 134 km/h.

Many other cricketers, like Australian Steve Smith and Afghani Rashid Khan, have said they tried to copy Afridi's bowling action. They praised him as a "terrific leg-spinner."

Helping Others

In March 2014, Shahid Afridi started the Shahid Afridi Foundation. This charity works to provide healthcare and education in Pakistan. In August 2015, he was recognized as one of the world's most charitable athletes.

UNICEF and Pakistani authorities have also worked with Shahid Afridi to promote the anti-polio campaign in the Waziristan region.

Awards and Honors

On 23 March 2010, the President of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, gave Afridi the Pride of Performance award.

On 23 March 2018, he received the Sitara-i-Imtiaz award from the President of Pakistan, Mamnoon Hussain.

Images for kids

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  An innings-by-innings breakdown of Afridi's Test match batting career up to 30 December 2007, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line)

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  Afridi in the field during a 50-over warm-up match against Somerset at the County Ground, Taunton, during Pakistan's 2010 tour of England

See also

In Spanish: Shahid Afridi para niños