Shahid Afridi names players from past and present who 'fascinate' him, one Indian cricketer included in the list
Only one Indian cricketer made it to Shahid Afridi's list and the name is on expected lines.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi would go down as one of the most entertaining cricketers of all time. A volatile batsman and a pretty amazing bowler, Afridi's 37-ball century back in the year 1996 stood tall for 18 years before it was broken by Corey Anderson of New Zealand.
Pakistan's most-capped ODI cricketer, Afridi is the country's fourth leading run-getter with 8027 runs and while his average of 23.81 has always been a hot topic of discussion, his strike-rate of 116 is Pakistan's best.
In a recent interaction with Khelo Aazadi Se Show on BSports Pakistan YouTube Channel, Afridi was asked to name cricketers he loved watching play, and the former captain was quick to put out two names from Pakistan – his former teammates Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Saeed Anwar – along with a couple more from other teams.
"If we talk about my initial years, Inzamam Ul Haq and Saeed Anwar used to fascinate me. To follow their game, the heard wanted to sit in front of the TV and watch them. I fulfilled my dream when I started playing with them. If you talk about players from other countries, there was Brian Lara and Glenn McGrath," Afridi said.
As far as the current crop of cricketers are concerned, Afridi likes Pakistan's batting pair of Fakhar Zaman and captain Babar Azam, while also expressing his likeness towards AB de Villiers – even though he has retired from international cricket, ABD continues to play for different franchises. However, there was just one Indian cricketer who made it to Afridi's list, and the name is on expected lines.
"When it comes to the current generation, I would say AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Babar Azam… he is outstanding. Fakhar Zaman when in form. He is one player who if gives a start, Pakistan have won matches one-sided. But for that, his consistency is important," the former Pakistan captain added.