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Shahid Afridi has gone from being the young teenager who spanked a 37-ball century to being the senior statesman entrusted with shepherding a young side

Dileep Premachandran at The Wanderers22-Sep-2009

Just when did Shahid Afridi grow up? It’s tempting to narrow the answer down to a few days in mid-June, when Pakistan’s Super Eight campaign at the ICC World Twenty20 reached the edge of the precipice. After defeat against Sri Lanka, the situation was simple enough. The next loss would be their last, the signal for the players to pack their bags and head home for the summer.Afridi’s lack of form with the bat was symptomatic of the team’s woes. In the warm-up game against India, watched by a full house at The Oval, Afridi walked out with Pakistan in big trouble at 45 for 3. A bit of circumspection would have helped but as soon as you saw the ball in Irfan Pathan’s hand you could almost sense what would transpire next. The two men have a history, to put it mildly, and when Irfan bowled one full and a touch wide, Afridi reacted with a wild flail. Had the bat connected cleanly, the ball would have cleared the rope by a distance but instead it flew off the edge to MS Dhoni’s right behind the stumps. The latest installment of the Pathan v Pathan clash of egos had gone the way of the younger one from Vadodara.Afridi’s dismal run with the bat continued right through to the Sri Lanka game in the Super Eights, and when he chipped in with perky cameos against New Zealand and Ireland it was convenient to disregard them given that neither team really gave Pakistan a game. South Africa were up next, in the semi-final at Trent Bridge, and on the walk to the ground it was noticeable just how many wore Pakistan jerseys with his name on it. Perform or perish, Afridi has thrilled fans’ hearts like few others.Even then, there was more than a mild buzz of surprise when he walked out after just eight balls, at No. 3. Wayne Parnell and Dale Steyn had come into the game with rave reviews, and many regarded it as an unnecessarily foolhardy risk. And so we waited, for the impetuous hoick or the wild heave that would lead to sage nods and raised eyebrows. This was Afridi after all.The wait was a long one. Afridi batted 46 minutes and faced 34 balls for his 51 before JP Duminy’s part-time spin did for South Africa what Afridi had so often done for Pakistan. Someone who hadn’t watched the game would have been entitled to ask: So, how many sixes did he whack? The answer was none. There were eight fours, but not one swipe out of the ground. This was controlled aggression, calculated menace, the sort of innings Inzamam-ul-Haq might have played.Now, three months on, Afridi leads the side, with Younis Khan nursing a hairline fracture on the little finger of his right hand. How had he changed, he was asked, from the teenager who spanked a 37-ball century to this senior-statesman version entrusted with shepherding a young and exciting side? “I have a beard now,” he said with a laugh. “I also have a wife and children. Responsibility has matured me. I still enjoy cricket but I try and avoid the reckless strokeplay now.”There’s been good and bad, wins and losses, smiles and cries, more the latter for me. It’s a struggle, similar to what life is like. I’m enjoying it and I will as long as I play. It’s an honour to be playing for Pakistan. To captain the team is a dream come true.”He remained quietly confident too that the Twenty20 heroics could be translated to the 50-over arena. “We all know our strengths,” he said. “Not only are we strong in batting, but bowling as well. It’s a balanced team. But I never take any team lightly any time, especially when it’s the first match of the tournament. We’re 11 playing against 11. We’re equal in that sense. We can’t think that we will win easily.”The self-belief and motivation that he spoke of will be most tested on Saturday, when they renew acquaintance with India. “I enjoy playing India the most,” he said, another smile flashing across his face. Having tormented India in both Tests and one-dayers [Chennai 1999 and Kanpur 2005 readily come to mind], he certainly won’t hold back no matter how high the stakes. “They’ve just been lucky to win in the ICC events,” he said. “Winning and losing is part of the game. All I ask from the team is for everyone to give their 100%. I’ll be content even if we lose. If you lose after fighting, even the followers don’t mind that.”By then, Mohammad Asif will also be available for selection after serving a one-year ban. “It’s good for Pakistan, his comeback,” Intikhab Alam, the coach, said. “The type of bowler he is, it’ll be a challenge for him. He’s a matchwinner and has that kind of ability. We’re all looking forward to having him back.”Regardless of whether Asif plays against West Indies, most eyes will be on the man the supporters would happily follow as though he was the Pied Piper of Hamelin. From enfant terrible to experienced hand and now leader of the pack, it’s been quite a journey, with huge crests and equally scary troughs. “I hope to come up to expectations,” he said. “I already captained in Sri Lanka [in the Twenty20], with success and I’ve been backed by the players. It’s a really important match and I’ll try and instill the winning mentality into the players.”Those who adore him call him Boom Boom. The explosions seem a little more calculated these days, and there’s a look in the eye which suggests that he may not go bust as casually as he once did. That 51 in the Twenty20 semi was followed by an equally responsible half-century in the final. Having taken his own sweet time to mature, Afridi seems to be loving this adult lark.

Crystal Palace will be aiming to extend their six-game unbeaten run when they take on Burnley in the Premier League over the weekend.

The enticing encounter at Turf Moor is set to pit two teams with contrasting styles against each other following the arrival of Patrick Vieira in south London, with the 45-year-old preferring a possession-orientated approach.

As per FBref.com, the Eagles have averaged 51.2% of the ball in their opening 11 top-flight fixtures of the season, compared to Burnley’s 38.7% – the second-lowest total in the division.

Vieira’s charges have also attempted the sixth-highest number of short passes (2020) in the Premier League and the 12th-highest number of long balls (999), clearly illustrating how the Frenchman wants his side to play.

The Clarets, on the other hand, have tried to pull off the fourth-lowest number of short passes (1416) and the third-highest total of long balls (1168).

Therefore, it would perhaps be wise if Vieira didn’t attempt to play Sean Dyche’s men at their own game, instead focussing on the slick interplay that helped them carve open Manchester City and Wolves in recent weeks.

As a result, in-form striker Christian Benteke – who Alan Shearer said was “scared to miss” last season – must be axed from the starting lineup after featuring from the off last time out, changing the game in Palace’s favour.

No side in the top-flight has won a higher percentage of their aerial duels than Burnley (55.2%) this season, and floating crosses into the opposition box for the big Belgian will suit Ben Mee and James Tarkowski down to the ground.

The centre-back pairing have won an average of 3.8 and four aerial duels per league game respectively in 2021/22, as per WhoScored, and although Benteke has bettered those tally’s (4.5), he’s unlikely to receive much support from his teammates.

While the £120k-per-week bully has been dominating defenders with his head, his colleagues haven’t enjoyed anywhere near as much success, with the second-best headers, Marc Guehi and Cheikhou Kouyate, winning just 1.7 duels.

Consequently, Palace’s best opportunity to claim the three points on Saturday would be to avoid pitting Benteke up against the Burnley battering rams and instead opting for the more mobile, elusive and intelligent options at their disposal.

The likes of Odsonne Edouard and Michael Olise have already shown themselves to be genuine threats at this level following their summer arrivals, and attacking prowess could prove pivotal as Vieira aims to secure a third consecutive victory for the first time during his Palace tenure.

And, in other news…“I wouldn’t rule out”: Journo makes bold Palace claim over 21 y/o, fans surely buzzing

It could have been over in one ball, but instead it lasted seven. In front of a crowd of about 30 spectators, it took Durham about four minutes to pick up the final Nottinghamshire wicket

The Bulletin by John Ward at Trent Bridge18-Jul-2009
ScorecardIt could have been over in one ball, but instead it lasted seven. In front of a crowd of about 30 spectators, it took Durham about four minutes to pick up the final Nottinghamshire wicket to claim victory over the only team that had looked likely challengers for the county championship title by an innings and 102 runs.Steve Harmison bowled three balls to complete his over to the top scorer of the Nottinghamshire second innings, Mark Ealham. Ealham did not add to his 17, nor the bowler to his six wickets, for 20 runs, in the innings. This left one of county cricket’s most renowned rabbits, Charlie Shreck, to face a full over of Ian Blackwell’s left-arm spin, and the bookmakers would not have accepted bets on his chances of survival. Somehow he blocked two balls, before lashing out at the third and slicing a boundary to point. He exceeded himself again next ball, aiming a drive back over the bowler’s head, but this time the natural order of cricket reasserted itself, as Callum Thorp ran from mid-on to take a good catch.Nottinghamshire’s total of 83 was their lowest against Durham. One hopes the home supporters who had to wend their weary way home again considered the rare spectacle of a boundary hit from local folk hero Shreck had made their time worthwhile, as they did not have to pay at the gates.One of the most disappointing features of the Nottinghamshire batting was that all of their recognized batsmen made a start. They all scored a few runs, at least four, but only three reached double figures and none much more. Having made their start, most contributed softly to their own dismissals.On their form in this match, it would appear that their role as Championship pretenders has been demolished. But one bad match, even one as bad as this, should not condemn a talented team – and the problem is almost entirely a batting one. The true measure of the Nottinghamshire team’s worth will be clear in the next two or three weeks as they attempt to recover from this catastrophe and fight back. Surely they are too good a team to implode in this manner again.

Leeds United travel away to The Emirates tonight as they go in search of progress through to the fifth round of the competition.

They face Arsenal after holding Wolves to a 1-1 draw at the weekend in the Premier League, with the Whites sat just above the relegation zone as it stands.

Rodrigo scored a last-minute penalty for Leeds after Hee-Chan Hwang’s opening goal for Wolves and Marcelo Bielsa could make changes to his side to freshen things up for this cup clash.

Get Rid

One player he must ruthlessly axe from the team is left-winger Jack Harrison, as the forward struggled badly at the weekend and is having a difficult season.

Per SofaScore, he lost 100% of his duels against Bruno Lage’s Wolves. He failed in all seven of his individual battles and only completed 67% of his passes, whilst failing to complete either of his two attempted dribbles either.

His statistics over the course of the Premier League campaign do not make for much better reading. The winger is yet to contribute with a goal or assist in eight matches, losing 66% of his duels and giving away possession 15.9 times per match.

This shows that he is currently in poor form and the performance against Wolves was simply the tip of the iceberg, which is why Bielsa must axe him. He should be dropped from the XI for this cup tie with Arsenal to give others a chance to impress.

On the one hand, you can look at it as a ruthless axing from the team in the sense that his performances do not warrant a place in the starting line-up. He has not shown enough consistently this season to prove that he deserves to start and that is one of the reasons why the manager should name him on the substitute’s bench.

On the other hand, it could be a tactic to motivate Harrison to up his game. He may spend his time on the bench wondering what he could do to improve and then put that into place in training in an attempt to impress Bielsa and win his starting berth back for Sunday’s trip to Carrow Road to face 20th-placed Norwich.

Therefore, Bielsa must drop Harrison down to the bench to, firstly, improve the team in the immediate future and, secondly, to motivate him to train harder and get back to his best.

AND in other news, “From what I’ve gauged”: Leeds journo makes key transfer claim that should excite fans…

Crystal Palace could be set for a surprise injury boost over the coming weeks after star midfielder Eberechi Eze posted a video of himself back in training online.

What’s the word?

The 23-year-old playmaker joined the Eagles in a £20m move from Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2020 and quickly established himself as a pivotal cog in the capital club’s setup.

However, he ruptured his Achilles tendon during training back in May and has spent the subsequent months on the treatment table recovering from the serious setback.

Eze’s injury was initially thought to rule him out of action until the turn of the year, and while new manager Patrick Vieira has not put a date on the youngster’s return to first-team action yet, this latest development is a positive sign.

On Tuesday evening, the former England U21 international posted a video of himself training with a ball at the club’s Copers Cope base in Bromley alongside a sand timer emoji.

Eze can be seen doing some light sprints between cones before making some passes with one of his coaches afterwards in the video, giving hope that a return to action is just around the corner.

Vieira will be delighted

The apparent progress that Eze is making on his road to recovery will undoubtedly have Vieira feeling delighted, given the importance of the creative talent to Palace.

Last season, no Eagles player bettered or matched his tally of six Premier League assists and he also produced the most key passes and dribbles, with average totals of 1.3 and 1.9 per league game respectively, as per WhoScored.

Unfortunately for Eze, his injury came just before England were due to announce their provisional squad for Euro 2020 in the summer. And to add to his pain, he later found out that his name was on Gareth Southgate’s provisional 33-man list for the tournament.

The attack-minded midfielder will be hoping to get back to full fitness as soon as possible now, though, and add even more excitement to Palace’s new era under Vieira.

They have started vibrantly under the Frenchman so they will surely become even better if they add one of their starts from 2020/21 to the side.

And, in other news…Vieira can solve CPFC issue by unleashing rarely-seen 19y/o with “remarkable maturity” 

Aston Villa are interested in signing Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah in the January transfer window.

What’s the story?

Reports over the course of the summer suggested that Dean Smith’s side were very much interested in Nketiah’s teammate Emile Smith Rowe, with Villa even putting in a couple of bids for the young playmaker.

While a deal failed to materialise for Smith Rowe, it appears that Villa are going back to the Emirates Stadium for another talented English starlet, with journalist Ekrem Konur claiming that the Midlands club are among the clubs who are keen on landing Nketiah.

He claimed that Villa and fellow Premier League clubs Brentford and Leeds United are in the queue to sign the forward, with the 22-year-old keen to leave Arsenal to get first-team football.

Could complete Dean Smith’s attack

Having signed Danny Ings from Southampton in the summer transfer window, Villa bolstered Smith’s attacking options with one of the Premier League’s most proven strikers – the England international has bagged 57 goals in 146 games in the division.

However, having let Wesley go out on loan to get some football under his belt, and with Keinan Davis ruled out through injury, it’s Villa starlet Cameron Archer who has played the role Smith’s backup striker.

While Archer has done superbly well thus far, it’s an almighty ask of a teenager to play at this level on a consistent basis if Watkins or Ings were to get injured – especially with Villa’s new two-striker setup.

In Nketiah, Villa would be getting someone who is also young, but with plenty more first-team experience, and the kind of poaching instincts off the bench from which they could benefit greatly.

Noel Whelan has previously raved about Nketiah and his style of play, saying: “He reminds me of another Jermaine Defoe and look at how well he did at West Ham. He’s very much that similar sort of player. He plays off the shoulder, very dangerous in the box. He’s a player you can’t take your eyes off because his movement’s so good.”

Adding Nketiah to the mix along with Watkins, Ings and Archer would surely complete a dream attack for Smith.

Meanwhile, Gregg Evans has dropped an Aston Villa transfer update…

The world is about to find out just how good Mitchell Johnson can be with the key weapon of swinging the ball in to right-handers

Brydon Coverdale in Cape Town17-Mar-2009
The ability to get the ball back into the right-hander has made Mitchell Johnson even more dangerous © Getty Images
Batsmen the world over must be whispering to each other in hushed,worried tones. Word is spreading that Mitchell Johnson has found . The second top wicket-taker in Tests last year, Johnsonpicked up his 63 breakthroughs without the key weapon of swinging the ball in to right-handers. Observers wondered how good he could be if he ever mastered that skill. The world is about to find out.When he took the new ball in the first Test in Johannesburg, Johnson surprised the South Africans immediately with his newfound ability. Where once he had relied almost exclusively on his speed and bounce as the ball followed his natural angle, Johnson moved the ball in to NeilMcKenzie and then found an outside edge from the left-hander Graeme Smith to give Australia the perfect start to the series.”I don’t know if it was the first or second ball that swung back into McKenzie,” Johnson said. “My first two balls to Smith swung and obviously the second one got him. Being a left-armer bowling to a left-hander you’ve more chance of swinging it but it was actually really nice to see it swing back into the right-hander and swing back as much as it did.”It put a bit of a smile on my face when it came about. I knew I’d done all the hard work in the nets. It wasn’t like it just happened out of the blue. I’d been swinging it in the nets and it had beengoing well, and had my opportunity with the new ball and really wanted that chance to go out there and bowl with the new ball and swing it.”The opportunity to take the new ball was given to Johnson during last year’s tour of the West Indies and was then withdrawn because he battled to control the swing. His existing armoury was enough to cause chaos every now and then, like when he skittled South Africa in Perthand grabbed 8 for 61. There haven’t been any quite so devastating spells on the return tour but he is still the leading wicket-taker in the series with 12 at an average of 21.Other breakthroughs were more telling in securing Australia’s wins but few would have had Australia’s coaching staff licking their lips like the perfect inswinger at Kingsmead that angled across Hashim Amla, pitched in line and straightened so dramatically that he was plumblbw. Johnson said the key to discovering his new talent was relaxing and going back to basics.”In the game situation I probably pushed a little bit too hard at times,” Johnson said. “Now I’ve pulled it back just slightly and tried to be nice and tall in my action and tried to swing that ball. It does help when you get the new ball. I had my opportunities in the West Indies and I didn’t swing it there.”So I went back to the drawing board. I have worked a lot with Troy [Cooley] and he keeps in close contact with Dennis Lillee. Ben Hilfenhaus has given me a few tips as well because he can swing the ball. It’s good when young guys like that can come through and have the confidence to speak to, I guess you could call me a more experienced member of the team.”It’s easy to forget how experienced Johnson has become in a short space of time. He made his Test debut two summers ago but in a changing attack has quickly become its spearhead in South Africa. Few would call Johnson a senior bowler compared to the injured Stuart Clark but the two have exactly the same number of Test wickets – 90.Few would call Mitchell Johnson a senior bowler compared to the injured Stuart Clark but the two have exactly the same number of Test wickets – 90It’s Johnson the Australians will look to as they aim for a 3-0 series clean sweep when the third Test begins on Thursday in Cape Town, where he will take the new ball against a fresh opening pair, Ashwell Prince and Imraan Khan. Incredibly, he has never bowled to the veteran Princebut has recent memories of the debutant Imraan, who made 100 againstAustralia in the tour match in Potchefstroom.”In the first innings [Imraan] batted quite well,” Johnson said. “In the second innings we tried a bit of a different tactic towards him, bowling a few more shorter ones and getting him stuck on the crease a little bit. We’ll have a bowlers’ meeting in the next day or so, and talk about those two players. It’s going to be exciting for him in his first Test and hopefully we can make it hard for him.”I haven’t played against [Prince] and I haven’t seen a hell of a lot of him but I know he’s got a good record and he has been performing very well recently so you’ve still got to be wary of that type of player. He can probably bat anywhere. Maybe in the back of mind there’s a little bit of hope that he doesn’t want to be out there and maybe we can exploit it a little bit.”

John Dyson has tagged Brendan Nash as an example for emerging West Indies batsmen to follow. The head coach described the reliance on four or five players in the recent two drawn Tests against New Zealand as “unfortunate” but noted that Nash had made a “s

Tony Cozier30-Dec-2008
Brendan Nash featured in two vital partnerships at difficult stages in the second Test against New Zealand. The first with centurion Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the first innings and with captain Chris Gayle in the second. © Getty Images
West Indies coach John Dyson has tagged Brendan Nash as an example for emerging batsmen to follow. Dyson described the reliance on four or five players in the two recent drawn Tests against New Zealand as “unfortunate” but said Nash had made a “significant contribution” in his first series.”We’re obviously challenging the other players, the younger players, to step forward and show their true ability,” he said. “With the experienced players, they’re the stars because they’re the long-term performers. Every team looks to its experienced players to perform but we need the lesser lights to go with them and make significant contributions.”He noted that some members of the team “have been around for a little while” and are due to make an impact in the remaining limited-overs matches on the tour.In his first Test series since leaving his native Australia two years ago to fulfill his goal of qualifying for Jamaica, the country of his parents, and the West Indies, the diminutive Nash was one of five key players against New Zealand along with captain Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Jerome Taylor and Fidel Edwards.His 162 runs in three innings included scores of 74 and 65 in the second Test and two vital partnerships at difficult stages: with centurion Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the first innings and captain Chris Gayle in the second.The West Indies were reduced to 74 for 4 before lunch on the first day of the second match in Dunedin after opting to bat, when Nash stayed for three-and-a-half hours in helping Chanderpaul revive the innings. After he drove a catch to short extra-cover, the next five batsmen contributed 29 between them, as Chanderpaul advanced to his unbeaten 126.Behind by 64 on the first innings, the West Indies were 106 for 4 the second time round as Xavier Marshall and Chanderpaul, the rock, were dismissed by successive balls from off-spinner Jeetan Patel. When Nash was bounced out by James Franklin later, Gayle had passed his hundred and the total had moved to 230 for five.When Denesh Ramdin and Jerome Taylor followed cheaply, Fidel Edwards was promoted from No. 11 to No. 9 to partner Gayle. It was a strong message to Daren Powell and Sulieman Benn who were relegated after their first innings dismissals to careless strokes.Edwards recognised it for what it was. He remained almost two and a half hours all told, a lesson in lower order responsibility, and actually outlasted Gayle in a stand of 70.West Indies altered the balance of their attack from one Test to the next, preferring Benn’s left-arm spin to debutant Lionel Baker’s pace.Neither caused problems on ideal batting pitches, Baker going without a wicket from 25 overs in the first Test, Benn claiming one (on an lbw referral) from 41 overs in the second.Dyson repeated the point he has made since taking up the post just over a year ago – that the ideal situation would be able to travel with a pool of players, enabling the selection of a balanced team “for all surfaces”.”Unfortunately, numbers dictate you can’t do that,” he said.He noted that, during his time, the West Indies have played on “some dead-set flatties,” using Australian cricket-speak to describe lifeless pitches.”It’s important that we choose a squad that does enable us to pick a spinner if conditions so dictate,” he said. “Whether it’s Sulieman Benn, Nikita Miller, Amit Jaggernauth or Dave Mohammed would depend who we’re playing against, on what sort of wicket you end up with, on the ground you’re playing on. So there are a number of factors”.

Rohit Sharma, the Indian batsman, is hoping a good performance in the upcoming series in Sri Lanka will help him secure a spot in the Test side

Cricinfo staff22-Jan-2009
Rohit Sharma said he had steadily improved since his success in the CB Series in Australia early in 2008 © Getty Images
Rohit Sharma, the Indian batsman, is hoping a good performance in the upcoming ODI series in Sri Lanka will help him secure a spot in the Test side. A successful one-day series in Australia early in 2008 helped Rohit settle in the Indian middle-order and he said he had improved steadily since then.”Though I did not play in the Test series in Sri Lanka [last July-August], I worked on my technique under Gary Kirsten’s guidance,” Rohit told the . “My footwork is much better now and even my shot selection has improved. My job is to perform. Hopefully, it should help me seal a Test spot.”Over the last year, when he played 28 of his 32 ODIs, Rohit scored three half-centuries – two in Australia – at 25.33. He put in an impressive performance in the Ranji Trophy, scoring two centuries in the final and aggregating 747 runs at 74.70 in the tournament that his team, Mumbai, won.He was under-par in the five ODIs in Sri Lanka last year, with a top score of 32, but India won the series 3-2 and he said the pressure would now be on Sri Lanka. “India are a strong side now. We beat Australia and then England. On the other hand, Sri Lanka look patchy. I feel the pressure will be on them. We are confident of beating them in their own backyard once again.”Sri Lanka were beaten by Bangladesh in a league game of the tri-nation series and narrowly avoided another defeat to the same opposition in the final. They also lost the first ODI in Pakistan before bouncing back with a 129-run rout in the second.

Journalist Anthony Haggerty believes that Celtic striker Odsonne Edouard has set his heart on a move to the Premier League this summer.

The forward has been heavily linked with a departure from the Scottish giants in this transfer window.

Brighton & Hove Albion have been linked with a move previously this summer, as have their bitter rivals Crystal Palace.

The Eagles are now reported to lead the race to sign the Frenchman, in a deal that would cost around £18m.

Edouard has had a superb record during his time at Celtic and has scored 86 goals, while laying on 39 assists, in 177 appearances since his arrival back in 2018.

As his contract is set to expire in 2022, this summer may be the final opportunity Celtic have to receive a big fee for the former France U21 international.

And Haggerty expects him to make the move to the Premier League before next week’s transfer deadline.

He said: “Brighton, supposedly for 18 million, Palace supposedly for 18 million. Pick a number, any x amount of millions, first and foremost, the club need to want you, but I think he maybe has his heart set on the English Premier League.

“London seems to be that destination for him doesn’t it? Crystal Palace, Brighton, that sort of thing. It might well be somebody like that.”