Sport - Cricket

Afridi — a destroyer and an entertainer

Special Correspondent

Lahore: It was a dust storm that swept the Indians off their feet. Shahid Afridi is a force of nature, a destroyer and an entertainer.

Afridi's blitzkrieg at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday saw him equalling his own feat of scoring a hundred in 78 balls; the seventh quickest Test century.

Majid Khan, that elegant opener from the past, holds the record for the quickest hundred by a Pakistani. He dismissed the Kiwi attack during the 1976-77 Test in Karachi, racing to the three-figure mark in only 74 balls.

Said Indian coach Greg Chappell about Afridi's innings. "It was one of the best hitting I have seen. I've seen some good hitting knocks from Ian Botham, Clive Lloyd, Adam Gilchrist and Afridi's innings was right up there in the top group."

Afridi said, "This is how I bat. I always go with a positive frame of mind. At one stage Anil Kumble asked me where I should bowl so that I would not be able to hit him." Afridi was more severe on Harbhajan Singh. Vivian Richards has the fastest hundred in Tests to his credit, pounding the England attack on way to a 56-ball century at St. John's, 1985-86.

A new high

The 24-year-old Kamran Akmal's 81-ball 102 on the second day of the first Allianz Test saw the unassuming wicket-keeper batsman reach a new high. He had eclipsed Australian great Adam Gilchrist's record of rattling up a Test hundred in 84 balls, the previous fastest for a wicket-keeper batsman.

Gilchrist had achieved the feat, twice, against India in Mumbai, 2000-2001, and against Zimbabwe in Perth, 2003-2004.

"I did not realise that I had the broken any record before I went back to the dressing room. It was a nice feeling," said Akmal.

Afridi was all praise for Akmal's effort. "He is a promising cricketer, who contributes with both the bat and the gloves. He is already a key member of the Pakistan side, and should go on to become an even more important cricketer."

Sehwag asked not to write

Virender Sehwag has been asked not to write in the media by the BCCI. The media director of the Indian team, G.S. Walia, said Sehwag, whose column appeared recently in a daily, might have done so "out of ignorance.''

"The players have a contract with the Board and they cannot write columns or have their own agreement with a television channel," said Mr. Walia.

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