Shahid Afridi's 5 best performances after international retirement
Shahid Afridi is perhaps the prototype T20 cricketer. The Pakistan star was one of the most popular cricketers at the peak of his career. He was well and truly box-office. Afridi also played an instrumental role in Pakistan's T20 World Cup victory in 2009.
In 329 T20 matches, Afridi has picked up 347 wickets at an economy rate of 6.78 and scored 4,399 runs at a strike rate of 153.91. His record makes a brilliant case for being the greatest T20 player from Pakistan, perhaps one of the greatest globally.
Since his international retirement in May 2018, the leg-spinning all-rounder has picked up 47 wickets at an economy rate of 7.50 and scored 559 runs at an average of 17 and a strike rate of 148.
Afridi is currently playing in the US Masters T10 competition. Although it is not an official T20 tournament, he has been actively involved as an all-rounder. Playing for the New York Warriors, he scored an unbeaten 37 off 12 deliveries in a shortened game (5 overs) in his last match against New Jersey Triton's.
On that note, we look at Shahid Afridi's five best performances in T20 cricket after he retired from international cricket.
#1 58 (23) & 0/20 (4 overs) vs Jaffna Stallions, LPL 2020
Playing for the Galle Gladiators, captain Shahid Afridi walked out to bat when the team was struggling at 93/5 in 13.3 overs. He took 5 balls to settle, after which he unleashed a terrific counter-attacking knock. He turned back the clock and hit Binura Fernando for 3 fours to kick off his innings.
A dropped chance off the bowling of Kyle Abbott, when he had scored 17 off 11 deliveries, proved to be extremely costly. He added another 41 runs in absolutely no time. He hit a couple of sixes off Abbott and 4 off Duanne Olivier, who had picked up 4/20 in 3 overs before this, in the 18th over of the innings.
Shahid Afridi was also the most economical bowler, as he conceded only 20 runs in his 4-over spell. However, his tremendous all-round effort did not prove to be enough. Jaffna Stallions won the game by 8 wickets and 3 balls to spare, thanks to a terrific 92* from Avishka Fernando.
#2 81*(40) vs Edmonton Royals, GT20 Canada 2019
Playing for the Brampton Wolves, Shahid Afridi walked out to bat in the 11th over of the innings when the score was 97/3. He hit 4 fours off Safyaan Sharif in the very next over, giving the Wolves some much-needed momentum in the middle overs.
Shahid Afridi also looked extremely good against the likes of international bowlers such as Shadab Khan, Jimmy Neesham, and Ben Cutting. He did not slow down at any point during the course of his innings.
The wrist-spinner also picked up the wicket of Mohammad Hafeez, though he ended up conceding 31 runs in his quota of 3 overs. Brampton Wolves won the match by 27 runs, as Afridi was adjudged the player of the match for his all-round efforts.
#3 3/10 (4 overs) vs Rajshahi Kings, BPL 2019
Shahid Afridi came on to bowl in the eighth over of the innings. He got rid of the opposition skipper Mehidy Hasan (30) off the very first delivery, pinning him leg before wicket. He followed it up by dismissing English cricketer Laurie Evans, who was also dismissed leg before wicket.
He returned in the next over to dismiss Qais Ahmad for a first-ball duck. His bowling performance helped in effecting a collapse for the Kings, as they went from 53/2 to 63/7 in a span of just 15 balls.
However, a fighting effort from Isuru Udana (32 off 30 balls) meant that the Comilla Victorians needed to chase 125. He sealed things for the Comilla Victorians with a six in the 2nd innings. They won the match by 5 wickets and eight balls to spare in a low-scoring encounter.
#4 2/10 (4 overs) vs Chittagong Vikings, BPL 2019
Shahid Afridi again came on to bowl in the eighth over of the innings. He bowled tight lines and did not allow the batters any width in his first over, conceding only 3 runs. He dismissed Cameron Delport in his second over, who hit the ball to deep square leg where Shamshur Rehman took the catch.
Shahid Afridi then dismissed Zimbabwe all-rounder Sikandar Raza in his next over, pegging his middle stump back as Raza attempted to play a cut shot off a quicker delivery. His final over was also pretty tidy. Victorians won the match by 7 wickets and 20 balls to spare, as Afridi was adjudged the Player of the Match once again.
#5 39*(25) & 1/29 (4 overs) vs Sylhet Sixers, BPL 2019
Comilla Victorians won the toss and elected to field first. Skipper Steve Smith brought on his experienced bowler in the eighth over of the innings. He conceded seven runs in his first over, coming back well after a first-ball four.
Afridi bowled a wicket maiden to follow it, dismissing Towhid Hridoy leg before wicket with a ball outside off stump that skid. However, Nicholas Pooran and Alok Kapali took him down for 22 runs in the next 2 overs of his spell. They helped Sylhet Sixers in setting a target of 128.
Afridi walked out to bat at No. 7 when they needed 45 runs off 34 balls. With 31 runs required off 22 balls, Tamim Iqbal was run-out at the non-striker's end after Shahid Afridi refused him a single. The superstar dispatched 5 fours and 2 sixes in his short stay at the crease, winning it in the final over with just 1 ball to spare.