‘I could feel the trophy in my hands before the final’: Shahid Afridi on spearheading Pakistan’s 2009 World T20 triumph

Out strode a tigerish man, unfazed by the grand occasion and the massive task at hand.

The man possessed that incomparable ebullience, of course, coupled with a charming visage and steely resolve; dare and power were his eternal hallmarks, which he displayed lavishly against opponents whenever Pakistan required them on a cricket field. Indian great Sunil Gavaskar’s explicit mention about the man’s extraordinary muscle in a handshake is reflective of those traits.

It was the 2009 T20 World Cup final against Sri Lanka at a jam-packed Lord’s. However, Shahid Khan Afridi, the maverick of the game, was ready for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. “Half an hour of Afridi, game over, tournament over, Boom Boom wins it for you,” said former England captain Nasser Hussain on the television commentary.

The situation demanded otherwise, though: excruciating levels of patience and precision — something this phenomenal striker of the ball, who was given the moniker ‘Boom Boom’, was never known for — as Pakistan chased a modest yet tricky 139.

For Pakistan, luckily, it was his day. While checking his traditionally flamboyant willow work, Afridi embraced wisdom early on as he rotated strike alongside Shoaib Malik, before launching his traditional onslaught to steer the Younis Khan-led team to a memorable eight-wicket triumph at the sport’s headquarters.

The all-rounder, like his team, started off the World Cup in an ordinary fashion. However, as the event progressed, he gradually showcased his ability both with bat and ball, and peaked in the semi-final and the grand finale.

“In my mind I had planned to celebrate the victory [in the final] in my signature style [both arms raised] while I was batting in the middle,” the former all-rounder told Dawn in an interview ahead of this year’s World Cup, recalling the soothing memories of the Green-shirts’ magnificent triumph.

A pristine form of self-nurtured confidence, though at times self-destructive and seriously lacking logic, was Afridi’s instinct. But this incomparable speciality did wonders for him many times, including in that final, where he top-scored with a 40-ball 54 not out batting at number three as he completed Pakistan’s chase in the penultimate over bowled by fast bowler Lasith Malinga.

“I could feel the trophy in my hands before the final,” quipped the 45-year-old. “I was very confident even before the semi-final [where his all-round excellence shone and was awarded player-of-the-match], and entered the field [to bat] with a positive mindset.

“You get opportunities to perform and win matches for your country, in big games; if you stay confident, you definitely earn positive results.

“We had a decent start [of 48] with [opener] Kamran Akmal (37) contributing solidly. The target was not that big, but still I batted sensibly, taking singles here and there, plus hitting occasional boundaries. In this way, Malik (24 not out) and I kept the scoreboard moving.”

Remarkably, heading into the tournament, Afridi hadn’t been Pakistan’s first choice at number three in the batting order. In a marked stratagem introduced by Pakistan, he was moved from six to three in the group match against Ireland at The Oval; the decision proved a bonanza for Pakistan till the final.

“It was Younis’ decision who, after discussing the matter with me, told me to bat up the order,” reflected Afridi. “I also wanted the same but there wasn’t any big hitter in our team down the order.

“It changed when Abdul Razzaq joined the squad later [to replace injured Yasir Arafat] and Younis’s timely decision to change my batting position worked for us.”

Bigger mission

That triumph remains Pakistan’s sole title at the event, and for the team, as Afridi recalls, there was no shortage of motivation as there were bigger things at play.

“Just a few months before the World Cup, the Sri Lankan cricket team members had endured that terrible terror attack in Lahore,” he remembered. “It was a horrific incident that dented Pakistan’s image badly and resulted in foreign teams refusing to come to play in our country.

“In that scenario, we, the players under the captaincy of Younis, had decided firmly that we would deliver our very best to win the World Cup so that international cricket can be brought back to our country.

“We did not have a good start [losing two out of the first three games]. However, later, some nice individual performances by all the players steered us to an outstanding victory. Under the able leadership of Younis, the team played like a dedicated unit which had one target: winning the title for Pakistan.”

While belting fours was a regular attribute of his breathtaking batting, Afridi had all the rights of smashing ruthless sixes — regardless of the size of the ground, the bowler and the situation — reserved in his name.

The most astonishing aspect is that this striking ability did not diminish at any stage during an international career spanning over 20 years. And this very trait enabled Afridi to remain a fearsome opponent against all opponents.

The right-hander cracked two towering sixes in the Lord’s final — one each against off-spin wizard Muttiah Muralitharan and paceman Isuru Udana, in the 14th and 18th overs, respectively.

On which one was more significant, he reckoned both were equally productive.

“Big shots were required on both occasions when I hit those sixes. So, both were equally important. I particularly tried to be aggressive against Muralitharan rather than just taking singles, otherwise it would have become tough for us to complete the chase,” he recalled.

Compared to what turned out to be a lop-sided final, Pakistan’s semi-final clash against South Africa in Nottingham was a more intense affair with Younis and his men getting over the line by just seven runs at Trent Bridge.

Primed for the big occasion, Afridi blazed with bat and ball. His 51 off just 34 balls, featuring eight bullet-like fours on a slowish track, was pure gold as Pakistan, electing to bat first, posted a decent 149-4.

Afridi sounded very Afridi on how he managed to bat briskly on a slow track where stroke-making was tough.

“There are different types of pitches in international cricket. If one thinks [too much] about the type and condition of the pitch, he remains double-minded. I had a clear stance that one has to play a T20 [innings] like this format demands; had I focused too much on [the] pitch condition, I would have slowed down,” he said.

“My prime strength has always been attacking cricket, and the team required a [fast] innings from the top order. Moreover, at that time I had a strong belief in myself to perform because I had been given the chance up the order. I thought that I could win this semi-final for Pakistan. The mindset with which a batter enters the ground matters the most.”

Kallis spat

If Afridi was not vibrant on the ground, then no cricketer could ever be so. Recalling his brief verbal spat with none other than legendary Jacques Kallis as he bowled during the semi-final, the former Pakistan captain said that he had resolved to dominate the fast bowler.

“Kallis was a world-class player; I regard him as one of the best all-rounders in the game. Top players [like Kallis] have egos, and [therefore] at times they make mistakes also,” he said.

“Plus, he was bowling to the line and length of my liking. I also took the advantage of the sluggish pitch and struck boundaries off his bowling with some belligerent strokeplay.”

Afridi’s job, though, was still half done. When South Africa came out to bat, the wily leg-spinner looked to mesmerise the opponents. With some skilful bowling, he got the massive scalps of Herschelle Gibbs and AB de Villiers — cleaning up both of them — when the Proteas were cruising at 46-1 in the seventh over.

The double blow badly hurt South Africa and they never got going after getting restricted to 50-3 in the ninth over.

“I always have had simple bowling plans during my career,” said Afridi. “I sought to get the process right, and to achieve this, I tried that my balls have [appropriate] pace, drift and they remain wicket-to-wicket as much as possible, which increased the chances of the batter getting cleaned up or trapped in front.

“I also tried to avoid conceding boundaries to major batters who get frustrated when boundaries do not come easily. In the context of the semi-final, the wickets of de Villiers and Gibbs, who were in good form, were extremely important for us.”

That the sturdy all-rounder was equally potent as a bowler will be an understatement. His tally of 11 wickets in the same T20 spectacle is a testament to this.

“Bowling always remained my top priority as I started playing cricket mainly as a bowler. However, as I began opening for Pakistan [back in the 1990s and beyond], it clicked and my aggressive style of batting became more productive for Pakistan and prominent among fans; it became my strong point,” he elaborated.

“Moreover, while playing for Pakistan [early in the career] I rarely got the chance to bowl a full quota of overs, or you can say that my main focus was not bowling at that time. Therefore, my batting was highlighted more than bowling.

“However, later when I realised that I wasn’t as consistent as a batter so I myself made bowling as my [primary] strength … and you can see my contribution as bowler as after legendary bowlers Wasim Akram (502) and Waqar Younis (416), I have the third highest number (395) of ODI wickets for Pakistan,” he added.

“As far as the 2009 World Cup is concerned, my bowling performance remained quite impressive, while batting was my plus point as batting fast up the order was required by the team in this World Cup.”

Complete package

While the tournament brought glory to team Pakistan, it was a complete package for Afridi, who bedazzled fans with his fielding on many occasions in his career.

At the tournament, he had a moment in the field too: the jaw-dropping catch he took off Scott Styris — New Zealand’s top-scorer at The Oval — while running backwards towards long-on will be a great miss.

“Oh yes, that catch has remained memorable to date, its video clip is still shared across social media,” he said. “Umar Gul bowled a great spell [record five wickets for six runs in three overs] in that game and it was an important wicket.

“During my career, I always tried to do something special in fielding. I never took fielding as a burden; rather enjoyed every bit of it.”

From Nairobi to Kanpur, from Chennai to Sharjah, from Faisalabad to Toronto, from Lahore to Dambulla, Afridi left his mark at many venues around the world during a fluctuating yet lively career. But his all-round excellence at the World Cup in 2009 will always be held in higher esteem.