Afridi shows spectacular is within his reach

Evergreen hero pouches 75th T20 catch five days before his 38th birthday

Shahid Afridi, the hero of UAE fans, produced one of the most stunning catches in Karachi Kings’ 19-run victory over Quetta Gladiators on Friday.

That Afridi, who is just five days away from celebrating his 38th birthday, could pull off such a stunning running catch near the boundary line, display the presence of mind to throw up the ball to avoid running away with it over the boundary, and have the reflex to regain his balance and come back and complete the catch to dismiss Umar Amin, has surprised everyone.

Afridi was hailed by one and all for the spectacular catch, but there is a tale behind this catch. When Afridi was asked to comment on it, he candidly said: “These days, I try to hide myself on the field but Babar (Azam) told me this time to field in the deep. It worked well.”

One of Afridi’s obsessions is to entertain fans through his style of cricket. Be it batting or bowling and fielding, he likes to do something which people will enjoy. Incidentally, Afridi’s catch off Amin was his 75th in a T20 match. “Fielding is an art, you have to enjoy it. If you don’t, you will be found out. You have to be ready all the time,” said Afridi, who after taking the catch soaked up the applause with his triumphant pose, arms aloft. A placard in the crowd read: ‘Supporting Karachi Only for Afridi Boom Boom’.

Imad Wasim, the skipper of the Karachi Kings team, could not believe that such a catch was possible. “The catch was the game-changer. Frankly, I was not expecting it,” said Wasim, who believes that Afridi’s presence on and off the field is very inspiring.

Ageless player

“Shahid is a legend of the game. He is a superstar. We are all thrilled by his presence. On and off the field, he is a fighter. I believe he is an asset to the game,” added Wasim.

An ardent Afridi fan in the crowd said: “Afridi is an ageless cricketer. I don’t think anyone can take such a catch 22 years after his international cricket debut and after having retired from international cricket two years ago.”

Speaking to Gulf News recently, Afridi had said: “I have played some good knocks and produced some good bowling and people have always supported me here.”

The comments that followed after Afridi’s catch, on Twitter and from fans around the ground, were interesting. “It was a super catch by a superman,” remarked one, while another said: “Through this catch, Afridi has become the King of Karachi.”