“Afridi is once again taking his bowling for granted”: Abdul Qadir

ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan spin wizard and chief selector Abdul Qadir has criticised One-day International captain Shahid Afridi for taking his bowling for “granted”.

Afridi’s bowling was suffering a lean patch during early 2009, but after taking valuable googly tips from Qadir, he finished the 2009 ICC World T20 with 11 wickets at an impressive average of 13.54.

Unfortunately for Pakistan, it was not too long before Afridi drifted away from Qadir’s advice and subsequently, in his 18 ODI appearances over the last twelve months, Afridi has managed a paltry 19 wickets at an unimpressive average of 45.05.

“I always knew Shahid’s form would not last long. Experience has taught me that leg-spin is a tough art and one can never afford to rest on one’s laurels. Unfortunately, it appears as though Afridi is once again taking his bowling for granted and has totally forgotten the tips I gave him”, PakPassion.net quoted Qadir, who is hailed as the father of modern leg-spin bowling, as saying.

However, he was effusive in his praise for the flamboyant cricketer. “I have always maintained that Shahid is a very special cricketer and hence, should never be left out from the team. I have always backed him tremendously. I was also very vocal on television when he was dropped from the side some time ago”, stated Qadir.

Initially, Afridi did acknowledge the help he had received from Qadir in his Man of the Match interview after the first ODI against Australia in UAE in 2009, but since then, he has talked a lot about how he has learnt and improved simply by watching old videos of himself.

Qadir, who has also provided useful tips to renowned leg-spinners Shane Warne and Anil Kumble over the years, has noticed this.

“Although I firmly believe that a student should always acknowledge his teacher, I do not feel greatly offended by Afridi’s antics because in my view, my advice to him would eventually benefit my country,” the spin maestro said. (ANI)