Shaheen Shah Afridi: From Landi Kotal to top of cricketing world

Editorial Team3 March 2022Last Update :
Shaheen Shah Afridi: From Landi Kotal to top of cricketing world

Along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border lies the remote village of Landi Kotal in the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KPK) province of Pakistan.

Here, residents live simply, away from the fast pace of city life. There are hardly any cricket grounds, let alone any sports academies or facilities.

So it was nothing short of a miracle when a lanky fast-bowler called Shaheen Shah Afridi emerged from that village, donning the national colours and taking the world by storm.

The left-arm bowler knows how to strike the ball hard and clean, as witnessed in a Pakistan Super League match recently. Just the mention of his name across Pakistan is enough to stir excitement.

Standing six feet, six inches tall (198cm), Afridi has a calm demeanour and a pleasant smile.

Afridi is the youngest of seven brothers. He says the environment at home that buzzed with cricket enthusiasm was his biggest inspiration.

“Everyone, all of my brothers, are cricketers and I was inspired by watching them,” Afridi told Al Jazeera.

“The biggest plus point of my life was that I have an older brother who was aware of cricket [Riaz, a former Test cricketer]. I followed him and he is my anchor in learning the sport.”

Afridi made his international debut in 2018, just a year after playing his maiden first-class match. His resilience and attitude have helped Pakistan on various occasions on the field.

The most memorable, of course, was his opening burst in Dubai last year that helped Pakistan beat India for the first time in a cricket world cup.

Riding on that, the Pakistan pacer was awarded the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy after being named the International Cricket Council (ICC) men’s cricketer of the year.

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