Shahid Afridi wins World Cup

People wonder why Pakistan don’t normally succeed in these sorts of tournaments. It’s usually because they’re not good enough. However, this time, Shahid Afridi (cometh the hour, cometh the nutcase) revealed their secret to success: "The guys were really motivated." Not that it mattered. The guys may have well spent their time practicing their Risk, because they weren’t needed.

Whereas the Indians have their eye in on the strategy board game. They’ll wipe the floor with them.

Cliché artists always trot out the line that the “truly great” perform on the big occasions. Well, big occasions are much like other occasions, were the person that “performs” is much to due to luck as anything else. In any case, Afridi was awarded the Man of Match award in both semi-final and full final.

The tournament’s other great player, Tillakaratne Dilshan, got a duck in this game. Which we can only conclude to mean that he is rubbish. Or, at least, akin to Alec Stewart in the all time levels of greatness.

If Shahid Afridi was a stripped to the waist Roman gladiator, he’d probably stand at a Margaret Thatcher/Heman level of hardness.

Geoff Boycott was remarked that, as a batsman, Afridi had everything, except for brains.

Yet, Afridi is in the top five in terms of wicket taking and run getting. His economy rate is better than any other bowler in the tournament. His fielding can border on the spectacular.

But his hair could use some work.

Afridi could have won the tournament for Bangladesh, or even Australia, such was his form. And Pakistan would not have won without him.

Here’s to madness.