Afridi’s Fiasco

Just when we thought Pakistan cricket had hit rock bottom, along comes another shocker. No, this time round it wasn’t spineless batting, appalling captaincy or dreadful catching that made the nation hang its head in shame. No less a person than Shahid Afridi, Pakistan’s stand-in ODI skipper who has been in the team longer than any other current player, chose to tamper with the ball in Perth by gnawing on it.

As many have asked, what was he thinking? How could a player with more than 13 years of international experience even contemplate so mindless an act let alone carry it out under the full glare of the media? True he apologised for his moment of madness, which resulted in a two-match ban, and promised it would never happen again. But at the same time he claimed that all teams tamper with the ball, only he did it in a different way and was caught. It remains to be seen if this frankly libellous statement will land the cricketer in more trouble in the days to come.

The ball-tampering fiasco perhaps sums up the sense of hopelessness surrounding this Pakistan team. By his own admission, Shahid Afridi was trying to win just one match, any match, for Pakistan on its disastrous tour down under. So he resorted to cheating in an attempt to salvage pride. That certainly bears some thought, and consider also that Pakistan under him finally showed some fight in the last ODI which did not feature
an ostensibly injured Mohammad Yousuf — although it does not absolve him of wrongdoing. Shahid Afridi was being touted as Pakistan’s captain in all three formats of the game but what the future holds now is anyone’s guess. One thing is clear: the team is in complete disarray and the players’ confusion is matched only by the cluelessness of those at the helm of the Pakistan Cricket Board.

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