Shahid Speak (-worma)
Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi speaks about his punishment
Also, here's a very interesting profile of Afridi.
"I really don't know what happened or what I was doing on the pitch. On camera it looked very bad.and also
"I have let myself and the team down. I regret my actions because I have always played the game in the proper spirit."
"I know what I did was a big mistake and it will remain a stigma for me all my life."and this from KP
"The ICC has dealt with it appropriately. He came and apologised this morning when we were going out to bat," Pietersen said.
Also, here's a very interesting profile of Afridi.
posted by worma at
1:00 PM
11 Comments:
yeah it was funny :)
By
worma, at 14:25
Popular amongst the girls?
True.
Popular amongst the sane girls? True again.
Reasons for being popular amongst either type of girls?
Don't think I'd like to go in them in depth, but I would notify, hereby that TAFHA was more of a fan of the Karachi lad from in his pre-auburn streaks days.
And please note that he is a Karachi lad (still only 25 or where abouts, so use of word 'lad' is perfectly appropriate). He was born in Khyber Agency, but he lived most of his life here, more importantly he has learned and played all of his cricket for Karachi, and us Karachites are very possessive. Shahid Hashmi's attempts at claiming to own this potentially world class all rounder that could one day be the best all rounder in the world therefore don't intice good feelings with us. Hashmi must be from Peshawar!
Will this affect his popularity?
Not one bit, I suppose. The masses are largely ignorant, or chose to remain so. And he's a hero, and a hero doesn't fall in people's eyes this easily. This morning Dawn's editorial had a range of letters, covering the issues that surfaced on Day 2, only one person amongst the 4 whose letters were chosen criticised Afridi, one of the others mentioned his actions in the context of his punishment (which the gentleman declared a grave injustice given his justification that neither Harmsion nor Bell were fined for their unsporting acts). The other two letters were critical of the umpires for their call on the Inzi run out.
And the biggest reason of all why Afridi isn't going to be any less popular after this incident is because of his market value. When you're endorsing Rado (The Swiss watch company) (and have off and on endorsed products as wide ranged as shampoos, toothpastes, cold drinks, fast food restaurants, ice creams etc) then you just can't be unpopular with the girls or the general public for that matter. The only other Pakistani cricketer who rivals Afridi's market value is Shoaib Akhtar.
By
Unknown, at 14:33
zainub: thx for a quick catch-up on Afridi :-)....and yes I was very well aware of the sentiments of the TAFHA when I read about his popularity. In fact I seem to have a member in the family who is a fan just for that reason..no need to guess ;-)
And yes about the popularity being affected....I would say the same in India..although more people would have noticed and expressed their displeasure over his act...but his market appeal would not have been affected much. That would probably be dented more if he starts playing slow and grinding (and proper?) cricket I would think.
I know Akhtar is the rival....and probably Wasim was till a few years back? (the family member is still affected). Btw...Sami must be on the hit list of TAFHA?
..aside...going to watch the ODI in Karachi?...and probably meet KP? :P
By
worma, at 14:56
Sami is on the hit list Worma, pretty high on the hit-list in fact.
As is Younis Khan ( his hair-all-around-my-forehead look is the even more messy then Sami's maroon streaks and general flowness of the hair).
Coming to think it, many of this team's members are on our watch list - for e.g. : we are yet to come up with a reason why some one would want a hairstyle like that of Shoaib Akhtar's or the team's analyst (this is the pencil slim tache guy with seriously scary Ramiz Raja inspired look, Raza just a reminder is also very close to the top of our hit-list).
On the marketing front, yes Shoaib and Afridi are probably level at the moment. Shoaib's recent efforts have been in a good cause, he along with Strauss and KP appeared in an add supporting a polio eradication drive with the slogan "let's bowl out Polio from Pakistan".
I do have very sincere intentions of attending the Karachi ODI, if it happens, and if the circumstances allow me to (fingers crossed, God willing they will). But I am not sure I can prepare my self for a face to face encounter with Kevin Broom-on-my-Head Pietersen. Even on the telly any prolonged exposure to his skunk for me often results in a range of mild to severe gastrointestinal disorders (such as vomiting etc). I prefer to watch him only when he's wearing a helmet or a cap. Otherwise the eyes automatically get shut. It is beyond my voluntary control almost.
By
Unknown, at 15:28
And don't forget Bazid Khan...he had perfectly maintainted horrendus long side burns! Those have been out of fashion since I was in nappies!
By
Unknown, at 15:30
ps: Raza in one of my replies was a honest typo, that should have been Raja, as in Ramiz Raja, who allegedly hasn't had a hair cut for 3 years!!!
By
Unknown, at 15:34
LOL...Ramiz Raja has been in the hitlist of many TAFHA aspirant organizations as well :-) Although there is one serious deviation...I seem to have that fan also a fan of Shoaib hairstyle!..apparently it suits his everlasting runup (and no Sami's is not the same thing..warned not to mention it that breath)
But what's wrong with Karachi ODI chances? I thought that was a surety now...despite all security scares etc.
By
worma, at 15:43
Not the secuirty issues...issues of getting permission (which isn't really an issue) and of getting a ticket (which is the main and perhaps the only issue). It was mad rush last time India came. And many, many people aspiring to get a ticket didn't get one. I have an advantage though, I'm female, so I can stand in the seperate ladies only line which is always less popluated! :D
The tickets have been on sale online for a while though. But I don't buy anything online, so now I have to wait until they start selling them for real in banks and in the stadium it self. I keep a check on the papers every day to find out when they will start, but to date they haven't, it's a bit ridiculous if you ask me, it is less then a month away now, the tickets should be on sale locally also by this time, not everyone here has access to the Internet after all, and not all of those who have like engaging in online transactions. Or own the resources to engage in one.
By
Unknown, at 15:55
Yeah...this can happen in India and Pakistan only...selling the tickets at the last moment....secure in the knowledge that its anyway going to be sold out(for ODIs).
You know the tickets for the next summer Pakistan tour of England are already on sale online! (they are completely online, as far as I know, and invite applications in December...with actual allotment in Jan). And its not as if they're not sold out....the Ashes was completely sold out, and Eng-Pak series should be an equal draw, if not bigger. Incidently this summer Ashes tkts were selling at 10times over...
p.s. I resent the ladies line....esp facing the police lathis in the male queue :-)...
By
worma, at 16:01
I'm positive that this time we'll get better crowds (hopefully full houses) for test matches against you guys too, because the crowds against England certainly have out lived everyone's expectations.
The ground has been almost full for all four days in Faisalabd, and 10,000 odd on average visited Multan (which is exteremly good considering MCG is well out of the city limits). It must have helped though that as many as 70% of the tickets were absolutely free of cost!!!
Hopefully the PCB will have learned their lessons from last time, and they'll make the tickets go on sale locally (as well on the internet) well in advance for the India series this time. We're in mid November now in you guys come here in January, right? So the tickets should be on sale by latest early Decemeber.
ps: Just to rub it in, here in Pakistan I get to have seperate ladies only lines in almost all public places! Cool, nah? :)
pps: sadly, there is just about as much chance of me going to England to see us play there as Mickey Mouse making his international debut for England. I'm though intrigued no end by the possibility of one day sitting in Lord's watching Inzi bat and bat on in a test match and gloating endlessly about it to numerous Englishmen and women around me! That's practically my most frequent dream.
By
Unknown, at 16:14
yeah the Indian tour is in January, and last time around even that did not raise enough crowds in tests. Hope you're right for this time, although that would mean giving more credit to the English team for reviving the sport in another part of the world :-) (actually we also don't have houseful in all test matches, but English are surely going to be a big draw here too)
But why would PCB (or atleast Indian associations here) sell the tickets in advance, or learn any lessons? As I said, they still get their full house. Btw here in India tickets are sold by local associations, and I believe it is the same in Pakistan? So the PCB is not involved in ticket sales (wasn't there a controversy in the Karachi ODI against Ind because PCB took over the sales for security reasons and local assocaitions were not happy?)
p.s. ofcourse we have the ladies line here as well...for most public places...and hate it the most in cinema theatres (for railway reservations we usually try to take our own ladies with us for quicker service!)
I may go for the next summer series....and I would surely have someone with me gloating about Pakistan players...sadly not about Inzy though :-)
By
worma, at 16:23
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