Right to the end, Shahid Afridi was the ultimate tease

If this is how Shahid Afridi’s international career is going to end, then, in a sort of macabre way, it was quite fitting.

With Pakistan’s hopes of progressing to the knockout stages hanging by a thread, Afridi had the burden of powering his team past Australia’s massive total of 193-4 during their final Super 10 match. Pakistan needed around 10 an over and more than 100 runs to win when Afridi came to the crease, but the belligerent batsmen occasionally defies logic and arithmetic.

In the 14^th over, Afridi sensed his move. Youngster Adam Zampa was tantalisingly throwing up his looping leg-spinners and, in other words, the Australian spinner represented a walking bowling machine to Afridi.

Accordingly, Afridi launched a powerful straight six off Zampa’s first ball of the 14^th over and for a brief moment the contest looked revived. Was this one of those rare days when Afridi was in that video game mode where he conjures the seemingly implausible?

Unfortunately, but almost inevitably, there would be no fairytale for the Pakistan captain playing in possibly his final international match. Zampa, who somewhat evokes Shane Warne’s innate self-confidence and acuity, could read Afridi’s mind. Truth be told, we all could. Predictably, Afridi charged down the pitch but, smartly, Zampa darted it short and wide and had the Pakistan captain convincingly stumped.

Smashing a six and then throwing away his wicket was very much a snapshot of Afridi’s teasing career that somehow stretched two decades.Pakistan spiralled after his dismissal to lose by 21 runs in a disappointing end to their World T20 campaign.

One can never quite be assured with the temperamental shenanigans of Pakistani cricket, but the match is likely to be Afridi’s international swansong although he did not make an announcement post game.

“I’ll go back home and then make a decision (about retirement),” Afridi said post game. “I’ll do what’s best for the country. I will announce this in my country. It’s not easy to handle pressure as Pakistan captain.”

It is hard to comprehend Afridi’s career, which started in 1996 when he was 16 years old (although his age is often a source of doubt and derision). It was electrifying but exasperating. Brilliant but bewildering. Undoubtedly, he is probably one of the most frustrating cricketers ever.

Afridi was seemingly gifted with blessed attributes for a cricketer. He imposed at the crease with his powerful physique, highlighted by such broad shoulders. Few have ever hit a ball harder. I remember being at the WACA ground in Perth during an ODI in 2005 when he smashed Andrew Symonds for one of the biggest sixes ever seen at the large ground. Of course, he holed out moments later.

One of the reasons he endured for so long was because of his uncanny ability to bowl accurate leg-spinners, which were so effective in the shorter formats and helped prolong his career. He was extremely hard to get hold of, as evidenced by a highly impressive T20I career economy rate of 6.6. Afridi seemed to comprehend the necessary subtleties with ball that he just couldn’t grasp with bat.

There has been many maddening players over the years, but no one was quite as manic as Afridi. Temperamental tricksters such as Glenn Maxwell often infuriate with their recklessness but Afridi had his own rarefied realm when it came to exasperating.

Sometimes you just wished he simply would take a deep breath and not try to hit every ball as far as humanly possible. It is little wonder he averages a mediocre 24 in ODIs through 398 matches and 18 over 98 T20Is. His strike rates are an incredible 117 and 150 respectively, but you feel that if Afridi had battered with a bit more sense, he could have been far more effective.

Still, in some ways, it’s trivial squabbling over legacies and whether players reached their potential. More importantly, Afridi was always compelling and entertaining. You always wanted to watch him bat, and even bowl, because anything could happen.

Afridi had the enviable ability to smash the most outrageous sixes you’re ever likely to see and, then, the unenviable knack of departing ingloriously to the most brainless batting imaginable.

International cricket will seem a little less manic without the beguiling Afridi. We’ll still no doubt see him on the lucrative T20 carnival as an expensive gun for hire but it won’t quite feel the same. For better or worse, Afridi symbolised Pakistan, a team prone to haphazardness.

Shahid Afridi was cricket’s ultimate entertainer, a genuine drawcard. He will be missed.