Shahid Afridi Used Sachin Tendulkar's Bat To Score The Fastest Hundred In 1996: Azhar Mahmood
Published - 03 Aug 2020, 03:25 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:11 AM
Shahid Afridi, former Pakistan captain, and swashbuckling all-rounder shot into reckoning in his debut series in Nairobi against Sri Lanka when he smoked the Lankan bowlers to the tune of a 37-ball hundred- the fastest century at the time and a record that stood the test of time for over 18 years until New Zealand’s Corey Anderson broke it.
But according to former all-rounder and Afridi’s teammate Azhar Mahmood, Shahid Afridi scored that record-breaking hundreds with Sachin Tendulkar’s bat, which the Indian genius had previously gifted to Waqar Younis.
“Shahid Afridi had debuted in Nairobi in 1996 after the Sahara Cup, where I made my debut. So Mushi [Mushtaq Ahmed] got injured in that series and Shahid Afridi was touring with the Pakistan A team to West Indies and he replaced Mushi in that tournament,” Azhar Mahmood said on ‘The Greatest Rivalry’ podcast.
“In those days, the two Sri Lankan openers, Jayasuriya and wicketkeeper Kaluwitharana used to attack upfront. So, we thought we need someone who can bat at No.3. Afridi and I – Wasim said you guys go and try to slog [in the nets]. I was slogging sensibly and Afridi went against the spinners, murdering everyone in the nets,” he added.
Azhar Mahmood recalls Shahid Afridi’s maiden ODI hundred
Afridi was eventually given the nod over Mahmood to bat at the No.3 spot. The spin-bowling all-rounder, who came into bat after the fall of Salim Elahi’s wicket, shellacked the Sri Lankan bowling attack to the tune of a 40-ball 104- an innings which includes 11 sixes and just six fours. Mahmood said that that innings by Afridi transformed him into a bowler who could bat to a specialist batsman.
“Next day, we got the game against Sri Lanka and they said he [Afridi] is batting at number three. I think Waqar [Younis] got a bat from Sachin [Tendulkar], he used the great Sachin’s bat and managed to get a hundred and after that, he became a batsman. Mainly he was a bowler who can hit the ball, but in the end, he had a wonderful career,” Mahmood said.
Mahmood also heaped praise on how Shahid Afridi led the team in the 2011 World Cup. Pakistan, under Afridi, made its way to the semi-finals for the very first time since 1999 and the all-rounder played a crucial role in it with both bowl as well as a leader.
“Especially that World Cup, 2011, he led the side very well, he was in the best of his form, he was bowling really well. He learned a delivery from the great Abdul Qadir – the ball that drifts in and hits your pads. So that was a great World Cup [for him] and he was batting great as well. Overall, it was a great World Cup for Pakistan, unfortunately, we lost to India but Shahid Afridi was a great asset for Pakistan.” he added.
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