It’s good to see Shahid Afridi back in form – AB de Villiers

South Africa’s One Day International (ODI) captain, AB de Villiers is happy to see Shahid Afridi back in form and feels that the all-rounder, being a true entertainer, is great for the game.

The former Pakistan captain had a miserable time in international cricket in 2012, failing to deliver the goods with both bat and ball. As a result, he was dropped from the ODI series against India earlier this year.

However, the national selectors showed confidence over his abilities once again for the on-going tour of South Africa. The leg-spinner has failed to make an impression with the ball but has looked in sublime form with the bat.

In the third ODI of the five-match series at Johannesburg, the right-hander smashed 88 runs off just 48 balls, with the help of seven massive hits out of the park and five fours. One of his sixes off the bowling of Ryan McLaren, which landed on the roof of the stadium, is considered by some as arguably the biggest hits of the history of the game.

De Villiers, who himself scored a wonderful century in the fixture, believes that it is not possible for orthodox batsmen to hit the ball as long as Afridi can.

“Yes that was massive, and into the breeze as well. I don’t know how he hit the ball that far. It’s definitely not possible for me or Hash [Amla] to achieve that. I touched on it earlier – he [Afridi] played an amazing knock,” said the South African skipper.

The wicketkeeper/batsman admitted that Afridi made him feel helpless at times.

He added, “Feeling down at times, I forced myself mentally to think he’s playing a great knock, there’s no need to get emotional about the way he’s playing here. We’re not bowling badly, he’s just really playing out of his skin. In a way, it’s really good to see him back, he’s a great entertainer and good for cricket. Hopefully, not many more in the series.”

Despite a blistering knock by Boom Boom, Pakistan lost the match by 34 runs and are presently trailing in the series by two matches to one.

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Posted by Yasir Hashmi on Mar 19 2013. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.