Afridi: The arrival of a comet

• Rashel Ahamed
• December 8, 2024
• Sports
• 0 Comments

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The match didn’t excite many people. Usually, excitement comes from uncertainty. When the result of a match becomes predictable, it’s natural for people to lose interest. This was the case during the 1996 tournament in Kenya. But who knew that a Comet would emerge in this match. The name of that Comet was Afridi.  

The match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the group stage of the four-nation tournament (involving Kenya, South Africa, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) was almost like an unofficial semi-final. However, Sri Lanka’s excellent form and Pakistan’s poor performance made the outcome quite predictable. Sri Lanka, after beating Kenya and South Africa, was confident and in great form. On the other hand, Pakistan had suffered a big loss to South Africa (by 62 runs) and struggled to beat Kenya while chasing a low target of 148 runs, losing 6 wickets in the process. Beating a strong Sri Lanka seemed like a tough task for Pakistan.

Another reason for the lack of excitement was the situation in the points table. Pakistan needed not just a win but a massive one to improve their net run rate and qualify. Sri Lanka, fresh from winning the 1996 World Cup, was the favorite. Just six months earlier, Sanath Jayasuriya had set records for the fastest fifty (17 balls) and century (48 balls) against Pakistan in a tournament in Singapore.

Sri Lanka’s batting lineup was so strong that even 300 runs didn’t feel like a safe score against them. Beating them by a huge margin seemed nearly impossible. Yet, a few people were still interested, knowing Pakistan’s reputation for pulling off miracles. Those who watched the match were not disappointed.

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In cricket, winning the toss and choosing to bat is often seen as a way to reduce pressure. Aware of Sri Lanka’s strong chasing abilities, Pakistan captain Saeed Anwar decided to bat first. He opened the innings with Saleem Elahi, one of the few batsmen to score a century on their ODI debut. The pair scored 60 runs in 61 balls, but it wasn’t enough to pose a serious challenge.

Rameez Raja, known for his cautious batting, was expected to come next, but instead, a young, unknown player walked in. This player, Shahid Afridi, got a chance in the team due to Mushtaq Ahmed’s injury. Afridi, primarily a leg-spinner, was promoted up the batting order as a pinch-hitter—a common strategy to boost the run rate.

Afridi made his intentions clear right away. After a dot ball, he smashed a massive six off Kumara Dharmasena’s second delivery. His aggressive approach showed that Pakistan was ready to challenge Sri Lanka.

Afridi’s explosive batting continued for the next few overs. While Pakistan’s first 50 runs came in 53 balls, the next 50 took just 27 balls. Afridi reached his fifty in just 18 balls, one ball short of the world record at the time. His innings included 7 sixes and 1 four, with only 4 runs coming from running between the wickets.

After reaching his fifty, Afridi became even more aggressive. He reached his century in just 37 balls, breaking Jayasuriya’s record. Interestingly, Afridi hit most of his sixes against Jayasuriya, who gave away 94 runs in his 10 overs. Two of Afridi’s sixes were so powerful that they broke the windshields of cars parked outside the stadium.

Afridi was eventually out after scoring 102 runs off 40 balls, with 11 sixes and 6 fours. At that point, Pakistan’s score was 186 in 19.5 overs. Afridi’s partnership with Saeed Anwar contributed 126 runs off 60 balls, with Afridi alone scoring 101 runs. Even a stroke player like Saeed Anwar played a supporting role that day.

Later, Saeed Anwar scored a century, Saleem Malik added 40+ runs, and contributions from the lower order helped Pakistan reach a massive total of 371 runs—the second-highest team total in ODI history at the time. But the job wasn’t done yet.

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At that time, there was a saying about Sri Lanka’s batting lineup: that even if they had to chase 400 runs, it wouldn’t be surprising if they managed it. This was just a way of describing their ability to chase big totals. Chasing 372 runs seemed difficult, but scoring 290 runs wasn’t too tough for Sri Lanka. In fact, 290 runs was enough for them to reach the final. However, it was Waqar Younis who made this task difficult for Sri Lanka. He took out Sri Lanka’s two star openers, Jayasuriya and Kaluvitharana, in just 26 runs. He then dismissed two more reliable batsmen, Gurusinha and Roshan Mahanama, for just 1 and 0 runs, respectively. At just 27 runs, Sri Lanka had lost 4 wickets and was left struggling, like a ship lost at sea.

At this moment, the experienced pair of Aravinda de Silva and Arjuna Ranatunga took charge. Together, they took the score to 151. But soon, after scoring 52, Ranatunga was out. Then, Hasan Tilakaratne quickly followed, and Sri Lanka’s run rate slowed down. Aravinda de Silva continued fighting alongside Kumara Dharmasena. After de Silva scored 122, he was out, leaving Sri Lanka needing just 20 more runs to reach the final.

Chaminda Vaas played a cameo, scoring 16 runs from 13 balls with one six and two fours, bringing Sri Lanka close to the target. With just two balls left, Sri Lanka needed only 1 more run to qualify for the final. At that crucial moment, Waqar Younis bowled a brilliant delivery that knocked over Vaas’s stumps, ending Sri Lanka’s innings. Waqar took 5 wickets in the match, and Saqlain Mushtaq took 4 wickets. Pakistan won the match by 92 runs, but it was that last wicket that secured their place in the final. While Afridi’s century in this match became a highlight, many may not know that the real excitement came from that final delivery.

Although Pakistan reached the final, they were defeated by South Africa in a one-sided match. Pakistan batted first but was all out for just 203 runs. South Africa chased this down easily in 39.3 overs, losing just 3 wickets. However, this tournament marked the rise of Shahid Afridi, a young star who would go on to dominate world cricket for the next 19 years.

Though other players like Anderson (36 balls for a century) and AB de Villiers (31 balls for a century) would also break his records, Afridi’s innings in this context remains the most significant due to the importance of the match and the situation. His explosive batting in that match against Sri Lanka, under pressure, was the comet that changed the game and made him a star. Even years later, his innings remains one of the most significant and exciting moments in cricket history.