Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi went on to become one of the finest players that his country had ever produced. After making his debut in 1996, Afridi went on to play his first World Cup in 1999. Though, ex-Pakistan captain, Aamir Sohail, believes that including the all-rounder in the team back then as an opener for the showpiece event was a mistake.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Sohail claimed that he was in the favour of playing Mohammad Yousuf as the captain but the then skipper Wasim Akram went with Afridi who could ‘neither bat nor bowl’.
“When I was captain in 1998, we had decided with the selectors that we should have regular openers for the World Cup who can stay at the wicket and play out the new ball,” Sohail said on his YouTube channel.
“Unfortunately, you opted for Shahid Afridi, he had the ability on flat low-bouncing tracks where he would take on the bowlers and bring the opposition under pressure. But in demanding conditions, that is a big gamble. He was neither able to bowl nor able to bat. If I was the captain instead of Wasim Akram, I would have preferred Mohammad Yousuf.”
Pakistan topped the Group B by winning 4 of their 5 matches. They topped the Super Six round too before defeating New Zealand in the semi-final. In the final, the Green Army was up against the Australians.
With a young Afridi in the team, Pakistan could only put a total of 132 runs on the board in the final while the Aussies chased it down in just 20.1 overs. Speaking about Pakistan’s loss, Sohail said that it was the team combination and the decision to bat after winning the toss that resulted in the team’s defeat.
“So, according to me there were two reasons for your loss at the World Cup. One was that your team combination was not correct at all and the other that you opted to bat after winning the toss when you knew that it had been pelting down in London.”
“From my cricketing experience and my observation, I can say that we played the entire World Cup like a local team. We had one line-up in a match and a different line-up in the next match with changing batting orders.”
