The West Indies includes the islands bordering the Caribbean Sea, plus the Bahamas and the Turks and Caicos Islands, which are surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Historically, the term "West India" was sometimes used to mean all these islands as well.

It is often divided up by association with European countries:

• British West Indies
• Dutch West Indies
• French West Indies
• Spanish West Indies
• Danish West Indies

It may further refer to

• Dutch West India Company, a chartered company of Dutch merchants, founded in 1621
• West Indies cricket team
• West Indies Federation, a short-lived federation of former British colonies in the Caribbean
• West India

See also[link]

• Indies
• The West Indian, a 1771 play by Richard Cumberland

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. It needs additional citations for verification. Tagged since December 2009. It relies on references to primary sources or sources affiliated with the subject, rather than references from independent authors and third-party publications. Tagged since December 2009. It may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Tagged since December 2009. It may be confusing or unclear to readers. Tagged since December 2009.

  

  Indian subcontinent

  Indies

  Western New Guinea

The Indies is a term that has been used to describe the lands of South and Southeast Asia,^[1] occupying all of the present India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, and also Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines, East Timor, Malaysia and most of Indonesia. In a more restricted sense, the Indies can be used to refer to the islands of Southeastern Asia, especially the Malay Archipelago.^[1][2] The name "Indies" is derived from the river Indus and is used to connote parts of Asia that come under Indian cultural influence (except Vietnam which comes under the Sinosphere).

Dutch-held colonies in the area were known as the Dutch East Indies before Indonesian independence, while Spanish-held colonies were known as the Spanish East Indies before the Philippines' independence. The East Indies may also include Indochina, the Philippine Islands, Brunei, Singapore and East Timor. It does not, however, include western New Guinea (West Papua), which is part of Melanesia.

The inhabitants of the East Indies are sometimes called East Indians, distinguishing them both from inhabitants of the Caribbean (which is also called the West Indies) and from the indigenous peoples of the Americas who are often called "American Indians." However, the peoples of the East Indies comprise a wide variety of cultural diversity, and the inhabitants do not consider themselves as belonging to a single ethnic group. Hinduism, Buddhism and Islam are the most popular religions throughout the region, while Christianity, Sikhism, Jainism and various other traditional beliefs and practices are also prominent in some areas. The major languages in this area draw from a wide variety of language families, and should not be confused with the term Indic, which refers only to a group of Indo-Iranian languages from South Asia.

The extensive East Indies are subdivided into two sections (from a European perspective), archaically called Hither India and Further India. The first is the former British India, the second is modern Southeast Asia or the ASEAN Bloc.

Regions of the East Indies are sometimes known by the colonial empire they once belonged to, hence, British East Indies refers to Malaysia, the Dutch East Indies means Indonesia, and Spanish East Indies means the Philippines.

Historically, the king of Abyssinia (modern Ethiopia) was identified with "Prester John of the Indies", since that part of the world was imagined to be one of "Three Indias".

History[link]

Exploration of these regions by European powers first began in the late 15th century and early 16th century, led by the Portuguese explorers. These regions became important sources of trading goods, particularly cotton, indigo and spices after the establishment of European trading companies designed for the specific purpose: the British East India Company and Dutch East India Company, among others, in the 17th century.

The New World was initially thought to be the easternmost part of the Indies by explorer Christopher Columbus, who had grossly underestimated the westerly distance from Europe to Asia. Later, to avoid confusion, the New World came to be called the "West Indies", while the original Indies came to be called the "East Indies".

The racial designation East Indian was once primarily used to describe people of all of the East Indies, but more recently, it has been used widely to refer to an Indian from India, in order to avoid the potential confusion from the term American Indian who were once simply referred to as Indians (see the Native American name controversy for more information).

See also[link]

• Greater India
• Indian (disambiguation)
• Malay Archipelago
• Discovery of the Americas
• Spanish East Indies
• West Indies

References[link]

v t e Regions of the World Africa Northern Middle East Sub-Saharan Central Southern Western Eastern Oceania Australasia Australia Zealandia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia America North Northern Middle Central Caribbean South Southern Northern Western Guianan States Anglo Latin (Hispanic) Polar regions Arctic Antarctic Asia Central Eastern Northeastern Northern Southeastern Mainland Maritime Southern Indian subcontinent Western Middle East Oceans World Arctic Atlantic Indian Pacific Southern Europe Central Eastern Northern Southeastern Middle East Southern Western Seas List of seas Related Continents of the world List of seas Physical Earth

Coordinates: 1°00′N 103°00′E / 1°N 103°E / 1; 103

Kieron Pollard

Personal information
Full name	Kieron Adrian Pollard
Born	(1987-05-12) 12 May 1987 (age 25) Tacarigua, Trinidad and Tobago
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right-arm medium-fast
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	West Indies
ODI debut (cap 134)	10 April 2007 v South Africa
Last ODI	25 March 2012 v Australia
T20I debut (cap 27)	20 June 2008 v Australia
Last T20I	27 March 2012 v Australia
Domestic team information
Years	Team
2006–present	Trindad and Tobago
2009–2011	South Australia
2010–present	Mumbai Indians
2010–2011	Somerset
2012	Dhaka Gladiators
Career statistics
Competition	ODI	T20I	FC	LA
Matches	56	21	22	78
Runs scored	1,288	244	1,316	1,960
Batting average	26.28	16.26	37.60	30.62
100s/50s	2/4	0/1	3/6	2/10
Top score	119	54*	174	119
Balls bowled	1,487	264	643	1,985
Wickets	38	11	7	67
Bowling average	35.28	34.18	49.85	25.94
5 wickets in innings	0	0	0	0
10 wickets in match	n/a	n/a	0	n/a
Best bowling	3/27	2/22	2/29	4/32
Catches/stumpings	25/–	12/–	33/–	40/–
Source: CricketArchive, 27 March 2012

Kieron Adrian Pollard (born 12 May 1987) is an international cricketer who plays for the West Indies. An aggressive all-rounder, Pollard provides medium-fast pace bowling and big-hitting from the middle-order. After shining during the 2009 Champions League Twenty20, he was signed by both the Southern Redbacks and Somerset for their domestic Twenty20 campaigns. He was the joint highest paid player in the 2010 Indian Premier League, playing for Mumbai Indians.

Career[link]

Early life and career[link]

Pollard was born in Tacarigua, Trinidad where he was raised, along with two younger sisters, in a poor home by his single mother. Speaking about it, Pollard reflects "It was pretty tough, it wasn't ideal getting up and your mum say 'We only have X amount of money'."^[1] After representing Trinidad and Tobago in the 2005 TCL Group West Indies Under-19 Challenge, he was selected as part of the West Indies Under-19 cricket team to tour Pakistan. Pollard top-scored for the West Indies in the first youth One Day International (ODI), scoring 53 runs off 49 balls.^[2] Pollard made another half-century in the second match, but didn't manage to make double figures in either of last two games. He was named in the West Indies squad for the 2006 U/19 Cricket World Cup, held in Sri Lanka, where he only managed to make 19–runs in his four innings,^[3] though he did manage to take two wickets in a defeat to Australia.^[4]

Kieron Pollard bowling for Somerset during the 2010 FPt20.

During the 2006 English season he came to England to play for Haxey CC in Lincolnshire; he played five games for the club before he was recalled by Trinidad and Tobago to play in the Stanford Twenty20.^[5] Pollard made his senior debut for Trinidad and Tobago in the twenty20 competition against the Cayman Islands in July 2006. He finished the tournament with a respectable return of six wickets, and starred in the semi-final against Nevis, scoring 83 runs off just 38 balls, an innings which included 7 sixes to book Trinidad and Tobago's place in the final.^[6] He made his first-class debut six months later against Barbados, and marked the occasion with a century. As in the Twenty20, his innings contained a large number of boundaries, with 86 of his 126 runs coming from either fours or sixes.^[7] A score of 46 not out on his List A debut ensured that Pollard was in the selector's minds for the upcoming World Cup, and he described it as "a dream come true" when he was selected in the provisional 30-man squad for the tournament.^[8] Pollard's "dream run" continued with half-centuries in both four-day and 50-over matches against Guyana, followed by his second first-class century, coming against the Leeward Islands.^[9] Against Jamaica, Pollard showed his bowling ability, claiming four wickets in his seven overs to claim his fifth man of the match award in his 15th major cricket match. Trinidad and Tobago remained unbeaten in the 2006–07 KFC Cup, beating Windward Islands in the final to claim the trophy. Pollard finished as the competition's leading run-scorer, making 261 runs from his seven innings at an average of over 40.^[10]

2007 World Cup[link]

The impressive start to Pollard's career prompted his 'surprise selection' as part of the 15-man squad to compete in the 2007 Cricket World Cup, keeping more experienced players out of the team.^[11] Pollard played in both warm-up matches for the West Indies, making 14 runs and claiming two wickets against Kenya,^[12] and scoring two runs in a heavy defeat to India a few days later.^[13] He wasn't selected to play in the initial group-stage, eventually making his debut in a 'high-stakes game' against South Africa in the super-eights stage of the competition. Pollard's selection was one of a number of questions raised about Lara's captaincy during the match, which the West Indies lost by 67 runs.^[14] Pollard bowled three wicket-less overs in the match, and scored 10 runs in the West Indies unsuccessful run-chase.^[15]

Lucrative summer[link]

Although named in the provisional 30-man squad for the 2007 ICC World Twenty20,^[16] Pollard failed to make the cut for the tournament. The absence of Pollard and Lendl Simmons from the West Indies performance squad in 2007–08 was described as "baffling" by Tony Cozier, describing how the pair "had been seemingly identified as among those for the future but have quickly been shunted aside."^[17] Pollard was disappointing as Trinidad and Tobago won the 2007–08 Stanford Twenty20, averaging nine from his three innings.^[18]

Kieron Pollard batting for Somerset during the 2010 FPt20.

Pollard was recalled to the West Indies ODI squad for the series against Sri Lanka. The match was rained off after 18.2 overs of the West Indian run-chase with Pollard not required to bat.^[19] He retained his place in the squad for the home series against Australia, but after scores of 11 and 0 in the first two matches, he was dropped for the final three.

Despite his poor form in the previous season's Stanford Twenty20, Pollard was named as part of the initial 32-member Stanford Superstars Twenty20 squad. The squad would provide the starters for the US$20 million winner-takes-all match against England later in the year.^[20] After a series of practice matches, Pollard was included in the team for the warm-up match against his Trinidad and Tobago side, where he made 24 runs off 14 balls and claimed the wicket of captain Daren Ganga.^[21] He followed this up with a nine-ball 27 against Middlesex, including three consecutive sixes in the last over.^[22] In the final, Pollard claimed the wickets of Andrew Flintoff and Luke Wright to help limit England to a total of 99, which Super Stars openers Chris Gayle and Andre Fletcher chased down in 12.4 overs.^[23]

Later career[link]

The 2008–09 West Indies Cricket Board Cup saw an improvement in Pollard's bowling, as he claimed nine wickets in the competition with a bowling average of 14.22.^[24] An all-round performance against Jamaica in the semi-finals, in which he took three wickets and made 76, earnt Trinidad and Tobago a place in the final, and Pollard the man of the match award.^[25]

In the 2009 Champions league T-20 for Trinidad & Tobago, Pollard hit 54 runs in just 18 balls in the 15th match against New South Wales in Hyderabad. This earned the man of the match award and his side a crucial win. His display of hitting was so impressive that NSW approached Pollard after the game and attempted to sign him for themselves.^[26]

Pollard also represents the South Australian Redbacks in the KFC Twenty20 Big Bash. He also signed for Somerset County Cricket Club for the 2010 Friends Provident t20.^[27]

Indian Premier League[link]

Pollard's impressive performance in the 2009 Champions League Twenty20 and the Big Bash led to him being one of the most sought after players at the 2010 IPL auction. After some aggressive bidding, the Chennai Super Kings, Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore all bid the maximum allowed; $750,000. A 'silent-tiebreaker' was won by the Mumbai Indians, which retained him in 2011 IPL.

ICC Twenty20 World Cup 2010[link]

After his impressive performance at Indian Premier League for the Mumbai Indians, the West Indian all-rounder was picked in the West Indian squad for 2010 ICC World Twenty20.

Domestic 2010 season[link]

Pollard had a successful 2010 Friends Provident t20 for Somerset, helping them to the final of the competition on August 14, 2010. He scored 354 runs during the competition at 32.18 - the second highest Somerset batting average - including two half centuries at a strike rate of 175.24 runs per 100 balls. He also took 29 wickets at 15.10, second among all Somerset's bowlers.^[28] He took an impressive catch on the boundary in the semi final against Nottinghamshire,^[29] and then scored 22 from seven balls in the final match against Hampshire, including two sixes and a four, before Dominic Cork injured him with a bouncer that required hospital treatment.^[30][31]

On the back of Pollard's domestic performance he was offered a central contract which he turned down because that would force him to be available for West Indies selection all the time and Pollard wanted to play Twenty20 cricket as well. Despite this his good performances meant that he was selected for the West Indies in the ODI and Twenty20 series against Sri Lanka as several high profile names such as Denesh Ramdin and Ramnaresh Sarwan had been dropped.^[32]

Records[link]

One Day International Centuries[link]

One Day International Centuries of Kieron Pollard[33]
#	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year	Result
1	119	51	India	Chennai, India	M. A. Chidambaram Stadium	2011	Lost
2	102	55	Australia	Gros Islet, St Lucia	Beausejour Stadium	2012	Won

References[link]

External links[link]

• Player profile: Kieron Pollard from ESPNcricinfo
• Player profile: Kieron Pollard from CricketArchive

v t e Trinidad and Tobago squad – Current Squad 1 D Ganga 3 J Mohammed 5 S Ganga 7 Badree 14 Rampaul 15 Barath 20 Cooper 24 Narine 31 D Mohammed 46 DM Bravo 47 DJ Bravo 51 Emrit 54 Simmons 55 Pollard 80 Ramdin (c)  Kelly  Jaggernauth  Perkins  Guillen  Gabriel  Kanhai  Khan Coach: Williams

Shahid Khan Afridi
شاہد خان آفریدی

Personal information
Full name	Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi
Born	(1980-03-01) 1 March 1980 (age 32) Khyber Agency, FATA, Pakistan
Nickname	Boom Boom Afridi[1]
Batting style	Right-handed
Bowling style	Right arm leg spin
Role	All-rounder
International information
National side	Pakistan
Test debut (cap 153)	22 October 1998 v Australia
Last Test	13 July 2010 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 109)	2 October 1996 v Kenya
Last ODI	18 March 2012 v India
ODI shirt no.	10
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1995–2010	Karachi
1997–2009	Habib Bank Limited
2001	Leicestershire
2003	Derbyshire
2003–04	Griqualand West
2004	Kent
2007–2008	Sind
2010	Southern Redbacks
2008	Deccan Chargers
2011-	Hampshire
2011-	Melbourne Renegades
Career statistics
Competition	Test	ODI	T20I	FC
Matches	27	341	48	111
Runs scored	1,716	7,008	713	5,631
Batting average	36.51	23.59	17.39	31.45
100s/50s	5/8	6/33	0/3	12/30
Top score	156	124	54*	164
Balls bowled	3,194	14,892	1,085	13,493
Wickets	48	343	56	258
Bowling average	35.60	33.39	19.91	27.22
5 wickets in innings	1	8	0	8
10 wickets in match	0	0	0	0
Best bowling	5/52	6/38	4/11	6/101
Catches/stumpings	10/–	111/–	13/–	75/–
Source: CricketArchive, 21 December 2011

This article contains Urdu text, written from right to left with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined letters or other symbols instead of Urdu script.

Pride of Performance Award Recipient
Shahid Afridi was recipient of the Pride of Performance Award 2010[2]
Presented by	Islamic Republic of Pakistan
Date	2010
Country	Islamic Republic of Pakistan

Sahibzada Mohammad Shahid Khan Afridi (Urdu: صاحبزادہ محمد شاہد خان آفریدی) (born 1 March 1980 in Khyber Agency of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, Pakistan^[3]), popularly known as Shahid Afridi (Pashto: شاهد ‏افریدی), is a Pakistani cricketer. Between 1996 and 2012, Afridi played 27 Tests, 334 One Day Internationals, and 46 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is) for the Pakistani national team. He made his ODI debut on 2 October 1996 against Kenya and his Test debut on 22 October 1998 against Australia.

He is known for his aggressive batting style,^[4] and holds the record for the fastest ODI century which he made in his first international innings, as well as scoring 32 runs in a single over, the second highest scoring over ever in an ODI.^[5] He also holds the distinction of having hit the most number of sixes in the history of ODI cricket.^[6] Afridi considers himself a better bowler than batsman, and has taken 48 Test wickets and over 300 in ODIs. Currently Afridi is the leading wicket taker in the Twenty20 format taking 53 wickets from 43 matches.

In June 2009, Afridi took over the Twenty20 captaincy from Younus Khan, and was later appointed ODI captain for the 2010 Asia Cup. In his first match as ODI captain against Sri Lanka he scored a century however Pakistan still lost by 16 runs. He then also took over the Test captaincy but resigned after one match in charge citing lack of form and ability to play Test cricket; at the same time he announced his retirement from Tests. He retained the captaincy in limited-overs form of the game and led the team in the 2011 World Cup. In May 2011, having led Pakistan in 34 ODIs Afridi was replaced as captain. Later that month he announced his conditional retirement from international cricket in protest against his treatment by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB); in October he reversed his decision.

International career[link]

In October 1996 at the age of sixteen Afridi was drafted into the ODI team during the four-nation Sameer Cup 1996–97 as a leg spinner as a replacement for the injured Mushtaq Ahmed.^[7] He made his debut on 2 October against Kenya, however he didn't bat and went wicketless.^[8] In the next match against Sri Lanka, Afridi batted at number three in the role of a pinch-hitter. In his first international innings, Afridi broke the record for fastest century in ODI cricket, reaching his hundred from 37 balls. The eleven sixes he struck also equalled the record for most in an ODI innings.^{[9][nb 1]} Aged 16 years and 217 days, Afridi became the youngest player to score an ODI century.^[11] Pakistan posted a total of 371, at the time the second-highest in ODIs, and won by 82 runs; Afridi was named man of the match.^[9]

Two years after appearing on the international scene, Afridi made his Test debut in the third game of a three-match series against Australia on 22 October 1998.^[12] By this point he had already played 66 ODIs, at the time a record before playing Tests.^[13] He opened the batting, making scores of 10 and 6, and took five wickets in the first innings.^[12] He played his second Test the following January during Pakistan's tour of India; it was the first Test between the two countries since 1990.^[14] Again opening the batting, Afridi scored his maiden Test century, scoring 141 runs from 191 balls. In the same match he also claimed three wickets for 54 runs.^[15] After winning the first match by 12 runs, Pakistan lost the second to draw the series.^[16]

In 2001, Afridi signed a contract to represent Leicestershire. In five first-class matches he scored 295 runs at an average of 42.14, including a highest score of 164,^[17] and took 11 wickets at an average of 46.45;^[18] Afridi also played 11 one day matches for the club, scoring 481 runs at an average of 40.08^[19] and taking 18 wickets at 24.04.^[20] His highest score of 95 came from 58 balls in a semi-final of the C&G Trophy to help Leicestershire beat Lancashire by seven wickets.^[21] Derbyshire County Cricket Club signed Afridi to play for them in the first two months of the 2003 English cricket season.^[22] In June 2004 Afridi signed with English county side Kent to play for them in three Twenty20 matches and one Totesport League match.^[23]

An innings-by-innings breakdown of Afridi's Test match batting career up to 30 December 2007, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

Afridi made his presence felt in the third Test against India in March 2005, scoring a quick-fire second-innings half-century and taking five wickets in the match (including Tendulkar twice) to help Pakistan to win the game and register a series draw.^[24] In April Afridi struck what at the time was the equal second-fastest century in ODIs; he reached 100 off 45 deliveries against India, sharing the record with West Indian Brian Lara.^[25] Afridi was more consistent with his batting and bowling throughout 2005, starting with the tours of India and West Indies and through to the England tour. The Pakistani coach Bob Woolmer helped Afridi to reach a fuller potential by improving his shot selection and giving him free rein over his batting attitude.

On 21 November 2005, Shahid Afridi was banned for a Test match and two ODIs for deliberately damaging the pitch in the second match of the three-Test series against England. Television cameras pictured him scraping his boots on the pitch scuffing the surface when play was held up after a gas canister exploded. Afridi later pleaded guilty to a level three breach of the ICC code of conduct relating to the spirit of the game. Match referee Roshan Mahanama said: "This ban should serve as a message to players that this type of behaviour is not allowed."^[26][27][28]

On 12 April 2006, Afridi announced a temporary retirement from Test cricket so that he could concentrate on ODIs, with a particular focus on the 2007 World Cup, and to spend more time with his family. He said he would consider reversing his decision after the World Cup. Afridi had played ten Tests since being recalled to the side in January 2005, averaging 47.44 with the bat including four centuries.^[29] However, on 27 April he reversed his decision, saying that "[Woolmer] told me that I am one of the main players in the team and squad and that Pakistan really needed me".^[30] Before Pakistan toured England in July to September, Afridi played for Ireland as an overseas player in the C&G Trophy.^[30] In six matches, he scored 128 runs^[31] and took seven wickets.^[32] England won the four-match Test series 3–0;^[33] Afridi played two matches, scoring 49 runs^[34] and took three wickets.^[35] It was the last Test cricket Afridi played until 2010.^[36]

Afridi was charged on 8 February 2007 of bringing the game into disrepute after he was seen on camera thrusting his bat at a spectator who swore at him on his way up the steps after being dismissed. Afridi was given a four-game ODI suspension, the minimum possible ban for such an offence, meaning that he would miss Pakistan's first two 2007 World Cup matches. The PCB and Afridi chose not to appeal the ban, despite feeling that the punishment was excessively harsh.^[37]

In the 2007 World Twenty20, he performed poorly with the bat but brilliantly with the ball, earning the Man of the Series award, though he failed to take a wicket in the final and was out for a golden duck.But in the next ICC Twenty20 World Cup, held in 2009 Afridi performed brilliantly in the series scoring 50 runs in the semi-final and 54 in the final and leading his team to victory.

Captaincy (2009–2011)[link]

Afridi with his team mates during the 2009 World Twenty20 in June 2009

Shortly after Pakistan won the 2009 ICC World Twenty20 the captain Younis Khan announced his retirement from Twenty20 cricket the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) subsequently announced that Shahid Afridi had taken over as captain in T20Is; the appointment was initially for one match, with a decision on the permanent replacement to be made later.^[38] On 31 January 2010, Afridi was caught on camera biting into the ball towards the end of the 5th Commonwealth Bank ODI series in Australia.^[39] Later Afridi pleaded guilty to ball tampering and he was banned from two Twenty20 internationals.^[40]

In March 2010 the board announced that Shahid Afridi had been appointed ODI captain in place of the sacked Mohammad Yousuf he led Pakistan in the 2010 Asia Cup and during his first three matches as ODI captain he scored two centuries against Sri Lanka and Bangladesh he finished as the tournaments highest runscorer with 384 runs from 3 matches.

On 25 May 2010, Afridi was appointed captain of the national team in all three formats, after he announced his return to Test cricket.^[41] In July 2010, Afridi captained Pakistan in the first Test of the series at Lord's against England. He scored 31 off 15 deliveries in the first innings and 2 in the second but was dismissed succumbing to rash strokes in both the innings. After the match, he announced retirement from Test cricket again citing lack of temperament for Test cricket as the reason.^[42] Afridi was officially removed from the Test squad on the England tour, but after the spot-fixing scandal saw Mohammad Asif, Mohammad Amir and Test captain Salman Butt temporarily suspended by the International Cricket Council, he stated that he might return to Test cricket if "the team needs it".^[43] According a representative of Afridi, he had voiced his concerns about Mazhar Majeed – who had approached Pakistan's players – in June.^[44] Majeed also confirmed that he approached Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Younis Khan and Saeed Ajmal but all off them refused to be affiliated with him of his fixing menace. Worth mentioning is that the four names given above were not associated in the original scandal and that no disciplinary action have been taken against them by the sports governing body the International Cricket Council.^[45]

In October, Afridi stated in an interview with Express News that the squad had been selected without his consultation; the PCB gave him an official warning for the interview.^[46] Coach Waqar Younis also expressed his unhappiness at having no input in selection, however Mohsin Khan, the chief selector, defended the decision, stating "it is not written down in the PCB constitution that the coach and captain(s) must have a say in the selection of any squad".^[47] Pakistan lost the series 3–2.

Afridi during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand in December 2010

The team toured New Zealand between December 2010 and February 2011 for two Tests, six ODIs, and three T20Is. Pakistan lost the first two T20Is but won the third; in final match Afridi became the first cricketer to reach 50 international wickets in the format.^[48] When Pakistan's squad for the 2011 World Cup was announced no captain was named; Afridi, the incumbent ODI captain and Misbah-ul-Haq, the Test captain, were the front runners for the position.^[49] Pakistan lost the first match against New Zealand by 8-wickets, the second match got rained out and in the third Mohammad Hafeez scored a century and Afridi scored a blistering 65 from just 25 balls. The following match was a tight game but Pakistan prevailed by two-wickets thanks to three boundaries from Sohail Tanvir, the match was set up by a 93 not out from Misbah-ul-Haq. The fifth ODI was won for Pakistan by 43 runs courtesy of a maiden ODI-century from Ahmed Shehzad. Afridi helped in the lower order by scoring 24 and taking two crucial top order wickets to help guide Pakistan to a 43-run victory and their first ODI series win in two years.^[50]

After gaining victory as a captain against New Zealand, the PCB declared Shahid Afridi as Pakistan's captain for the 2011 World Cup. In Pakistan's opening match of the tournament, Afridi took 5 wickets for 16 runs against Kenya, giving him the best bowling figures by a Pakistan bowler in a World Cup.^[51] In the following match against Sri Lanka, which Pakistan won, Afridi claimed for more wickets to help his side to victory and became the second player to have scored 4,000 runs and taken 300 wickets in ODIs.^{[52][nb 2]} He claimed 17 wickets from 6 matches in the first round of the Cup, including a five-wicket haul against Canada,^[53] as Pakistan finished top of their group and progressed to the next stage.^[54] After beating the West Indies in the quarter-final, with Afridi taking four wickets,^[55] Pakistan were knocked out of the semi-finals in a 29-run defeat to India.^[56] Afridi was the tournament's joint-leading wicket-taker with 21 wickets, level with India's Zaheer Khan, even though Afridi had played one match less than him.^[57]

Soon after the World Cup Pakistan toured the West Indies for a T20I, five ODIs, and two Tests. Pakistan lost the only T20I^[58] but won the ODI series that followed 3–2.^[59] Afridi took two wickets and scored 28 runs in the series.^[60][61] The coach, Waqar Younis, fell out with Afridi and in his report on the tour criticised Afridi, saying "as a captain he is very immature, has poor discipline, lacks a gameplan and is unwilling to listen to others' opinions or advice".^[62] After the series, on 19 May the PCB replaced Afridi as ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq for the two-match ODI series against Ireland later that month. In 34 ODIs as captain, Afridi led his side to 18 wins and 15 defeats.^[63] Afridi subsequently withdrew from the touring squad, citing the illness of his father.^[64]

Conditional retirement and return (2011)[link]

On 30 May Afridi announced his conditional retirement from international cricket in protest against his treatment by the PCB. The condition on his return was that the board be replaced.^[65] The PCB suspended Afridi's central contract, fined him 4.5 million rupees ($52,300), and revoked his no-objection certificate (NOC) which allowed Afridi to play for Hampshire. Afridi filed a petition with the Sindh High Court to overturn the sanctions. On 15 June, Afridi withdrew his petition after an out of court settlement and the PCB reinstated his NOC.^[66] When the PCB's central contracts were renewed in August, Afridi's was allowed to lapse.^[67] In October he withdrew his retirement as Ijaz Butt had been replaced as chairman of the PCB. ^[68] Two weeks after his announcement, Afridi was included in Pakistan's squad to face Sri Lanka in three ODIs and a T20I.^[69] In November 2011, Afridi became the only cricketer to score a half-century and take five wickets on two separate occasions in ODIs.^[70] Afridi achieved this feat in the fourth ODI against Sri Lanka which helped Pakistan to secure the one-day series.^[71]

Playing style[link]

Afridi bowling his stock leg-spin delivery

Batting[link]

His general style of batting is very aggressive and attack oriented and has earned him the nickname "Boom Boom Afridi". Moreover, out of the seven fastest ODI centuries of all time, Afridi has produced three of them.^[72] As of 19 April 2011, he has an ODI strike rate of 113.88 runs per 100 balls, the fourth highest in the game's history.^[73] This attitude has been transferred to Test cricket as well, with Afridi scoring at a relatively high strike rate of 86.97. He has an approach to batting that can change the tempo of a game and inspire the mood of an audience, as shown when a mass exodus of spectators occurred in Pakistan in late 2005 following his dismissal from the crease.

He hits many sixes long and high, favouring straight down the ground or over midwicket and hit the longest ever six in the history of ODIs against Australia. His trademark shot is a cross-batted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump.^[74] However, his aggressive style increases his risk of getting out and he is one of the most inconsistent batsmen in cricket. This is reflected by the fact that he is the only player to score more than 6,000 ODI runs at an average under 25.^[75] Afridi has moved about the batting order, and this lack of consistency has made it difficult for him to settle. In the Indian subcontinent, where the ball quickly loses its shine, he prefers to open the batting however elsewhere he prefers to bat at number six.^[76]

Bowling[link]

Having started as a fast bowler, Afridi decided to start bowling spin after he was told he was throwing. He modelled himself on Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.^[3] Afridi began his career as primarily a bowler, however after scoring the fastest century in his maiden ODI innings more was expected of him with the bat. He considers himself a better bowler than batsman.^[76] While he is renowned for his aggressive batting, he is also a handy leg-spinner capable of producing a good mix of wicket taking balls.^[77] He has over 300 International wickets, most of which are from the ODI format. While his stock ball is the leg break, his armoury also includes the conventional off break and a "quicker one" which he can deliver in the style of a medium-pacer, reaching speeds of around 130 km/h (81 mph).^[78] He bowls at a high speed for a spinner, resulting in lesser turn, and relying more on variations in speed. He occasionally sends down a bouncer to a batsman, which is very rare for a spin bowler.

Records and achievements[link]

Test centuries[link]

• In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

Test centuries

	Runs	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	141	2	India	Chennai, India	MA Chidambaram Stadium	1999
[2]	107	12	West Indies	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	Sharjah C.A. Stadium	2002
[3]	122	18	West Indies	Bridgetown, Barbados	Kensington Oval	2005
[4]	103	21	India	Lahore, Pakistan	Gaddafi Stadium	2006
[5]	156	22	India	Faisalabad, Pakistan	Iqbal Stadium	2006

ODI centuries[link]

• In the column Runs, * indicates being not out
• The column title Match refers to the Match Number of the player's career

ODI centuries

	Runs	Balls	Match	Against	City/Country	Venue	Year
[1]	102	37	2	Sri Lanka	Nairobi, Kenya	Nairobi Gymkhana Club	1996
[2]	109	94	65	India	Toronto, Canada	Toronto CSCC	1998
[3]	108*	97	146	New Zealand	Sharjah, United Arab Emirates	Sharjah C.A. Stadium	2002
[4]	102	45	204	India	Kanpur, India	Green Park	2005
[5]	109	76	294	Sri Lanka	Dambulla, Sri Lanka	Dambulla International Stadium	2010
[6]	124	60	296	Bangladesh	Dambulla, Sri Lanka	Dambulla International Stadium	2010

ODI five-wicket hauls[link]

No.	Date	Ground	Against	Inn	Overs	Runs	Wkts	Econ	Batsmen	Result
1	02000-10-2727 October 2000	Gaddafi Stadium	England	1	10	40	5	4.00	ME Trescothick N Hussain GP Thorpe C White AF Giles	Won[79]
2	02004-09-1414 September 2004	Edgbaston Cricket Ground	Kenya	1	6	1	5	1.83	MA Ouma TM Odoyo BJ Patel ML Patel PJ Ongondo	Won[80]
3	02009-04-2222 April 2009	DSC Cricket Stadium	Australia	1	10	38	6	3.80	BJ Haddin SR Watson A Symonds CJ Ferguson NW Bracken SR Clark	Won[81]
4	02011-02-2323 February 2011	Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium	Kenya	1	8	16	5	2.00	Steve Tikolo Tanmay Mishra Jimmy Kamande Thomas Odoyo Collins Obuya	Won[82]
5	02011-03-033 March 2011	R Premadasa Stadium	Canada	1	10	23	5	2.30	Ashish Bagai Jimmy Hansra Rizwan Cheema Tyson Gordon Harvir Baidwan	Won[83]
6	02011-11-2020 November 2011	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Sri Lanka	1	9.2	35	5	3.75	Kumar Sangakkara Mahela Jayawardene Jeevan Mendis Thisara Perera Seekkuge Prasanna	Won[84]
7	02011-12-011 December 2011	Shere Bangla National Stadium	Bangladesh	1	6.3	23	5	3.53	Shahriar Nafees Mahmudullah Shakib Al Hasan Farhad Reza Shafiul Islam	Won[85]
8	02012-02-1212 February 2012	Sharjah Cricket Stadium	Afghanistan	1	10	36	5	3.60	Karim Sadiq Mohammad Shahzad Nawroz Mangal Gulbodin Naib Mirwais Ashraf	Won [86]

Personal life[link]

Afridi is from the Afridi tribe of the Khyber Agency in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas and hails from a Pashtun family.^[3] He is married and has two daughters, Aqsa and Ansha.^[87]

See also[link]

• List of Pakistan Test cricketers who have taken five wickets on debut

References[link]