Expect 'big' finish to Afridi's ODI career: Lawson

[Irfan Hanif]

Afridi, a veteran of 389 ODIs, will retire from the 50-over game after the World Cup. -AFP
Former Pakistan coach Geoff Lawson tipped veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi as one of the players to watch at the upcoming World Cup, predicting a 'big' finish to Boom Boom's ODI career.

Lawson, who coached Pakistan from 2007-2008, said Afridi had transformed into a more mature person and abandoned captaincy ambitions to focus solely on ending his ODI career on a high.

"I won't quote his age because I found four different references to his birthdate. But age is no limit to the penetration of his bowling or the power of his hitting. Under Misbah-ul-Haq's leadership, Afridi has abandoned his own captaincy agenda and his concentration on purely playing continues to be valuable for the Pakistan team," Lawson wrote in his column.

The former Australian pacer said Afridi's value with the ball remained a vital weapon in the absence of strike bowlers Saeed Ajmal and Umar Gul at the World Cup.

"He can pick up wickets with his sliders, leg breaks and wrong 'uns in the middle overs that can turn a game. Strike bowlers rather than steady ones will win games in 50 over cricket."

"Expect him to have a big cup, it should be his last ... or not," Lawson said.

In December last year, the 34-year-old Afridi, a veteran of 389 ODIs, announced his decision to retire from ODIs after the World Cup.

True to his nature, he also announced he would chase the new record for the fastest century set by South Africa's AB De Villiers against the West Indies on Sunday. De Villiers' 31-ball ton surpassed New Zealand's Corey Anderson's mark who had overtaken Afridi's 37-ball record in January 2014.

"You never plan out to set such records. It just happens when you have a very special day and your confidence is sky high. If everything works out for me and it is my special day than I will try to improve the record set by AB de Villers in New Zealand or in the World Cup," Afridi said in an interview.

"I hope I get another special day in the coming World Cup if it can happen I will try to get back the record of which I was always proud."

 

[AZADPAKISTAN2009]

Afridi already did his X-MAN pose his legacy now he is just going to go enjoy himself