As far as I am concerned, I don’t see much difference between Afridi and Sehwag (in terms of batting temperament). Some people say Sehwag is a refined version of Afridi. I beg to differ. Even though Sehwag has delivered quite consistently for India, his high scores are rarely chanceless(e.g. yesterday).
Secondly, it is not as if Pakistan’s current openers are chalking up century partnerships every other match…so why not try Afridi in the opening slot in test matches.
He might score a quickfire 20-30, even a 50 and sometimes a century (like in the Chennai test in the last tour)…every run he scores would be considered a bonus because his inclusion as an opener would allow the team to add an extra batsman(say Hameed/Malik) in the middle order and will provide an additional bowling option(i.e. himself).
Somebody tell me…what is wrong with the above logic…?
Also, I do feel that players tend to mature with age…and given an extended run as an opener…Afridi will to…
And before I forget, he is a better fielder than Taufeeq Umar.
Re: Why can't Afridi be Pakistan's Sehwag who also bowls.....
Remember that Sehwag has scored centuries against the Australians too (and they are not exactly butter-fingered).
I dont see why Afridi can't do what Sehwag does.
My bigger point is that nothing that Afridi does will be worse than what Pak's current openers have to offer so why not try him and provide the team with an extra bowling option.
Re: Why can’t Afridi be Pakistan’s Sehwag who also bowls…
Maturing with age is true for most of players, but if you haven’t seen his recent innings he still bats like he used to 4-6 years ago i.e. try to hit every ball out of ground.
If a player doesn’t mature 2-3 years playing in a game, the chances are he won’t mature at all.
As far as him opening the inning and scoring a quickfire 10-30 runs is concerned, other players have given us (false) hopes of scoring 50-80 runs more frequently than Afridi. We are either disillusioned by Taufeeq, Yasir, Salman a la Farhat or they will someday really pickup their game and be more reliable openers.
Re: Why can't Afridi be Pakistan's Sehwag who also bowls.....
Ok....again what I am saying is that Afridi's utility extends beyond batting.
If he scores as an opener, it is bonus.If he does not, he is still a bowler and a good fielder unlike Taufeeq Umar. Plus by virtue of his inclusion, you have an extra batsman in the middle order.
Re: Why can't Afridi be Pakistan's Sehwag who also bowls.....
^ I agree that his inclusion in the team does offer a good chance of a blazing knock but then his bowling is not suited for all sorts of wickets, he is not Kaneria. He can't be included in all test matches thats why he can't be made an opener.
Re: Why can't Afridi be Pakistan's Sehwag who also bowls.....
"Why cant Afridi be like Sehwag" because he isnt!! Come on, you have a to give Sehwag a little more credit than you are right now. Although Pakistan has given him alot of chances virtue of some "tremendous fielding" the truth is not all of his innings are based on chance. Unlike Afridi "lag gai to lag gai nahi to out", Sehwag has better shot selection. He actually looks at the line and length of each delivery before he plays his shot, unlike Afridi who tries to slug any thing he can get his hands on.
But anyways Pakistan's openers arent the bigest problem they have on this tour . Pakistan as a team has performed very poorly against an Indian team that has acted and played professionally since day one. They have outplayed us in every aspect of the game. Pakistan's biggest problem is there inability to stand up and compete. There overall body language is not very good, they lack a fighting spirit. Except for the comeback by the tailenders, there is nothing praiseworthy of Pakistan's effort so far. In order for Pakistan to have any chance of defeating or even competing in this tour , they have to stop playing like amatuers, they cant afford to make petty mistakes. They need to come together as a team and perky up, they need to go out there and really prove they want to WIN!
Re: Why can't Afridi be Pakistan's Sehwag who also bowls.....
sounds like Imran Farhat's lobby is active again. the last time afridi was in the opening slot with his usual wicket-give-away innings, the mai-baap at pcb cosidered Farhat a better version of afridi who can't hit SIXES. And we end up with Farhat and his sourcefull father in law for next two years.
Phuleez! Let the pathan do his job, down the order that is.