afridi said he will try to get fastest 100 record again

KARACHI: All-rounder Shahid Afridi has said he will try to wrest back the record of scoring the fastest ODI hundred when Pakistan take on New Zealand in two one-dayers and during the World Cup to make it a memorable farewell for him and his fans from 50 overs cricket. Afridi has announced he will retire from ODIs after the World Cup but continue to play T20 cricket. “You never plan out to set such records. It just happens when you have a very special day and your confidence is sky high. If everything works out for me and it is my special day than I will try to improve the record set by AB de Villiers in New Zealand or in the World Cup,” Afridi said in an interview.

He said that he was happy to see a batsman of de Villiers calibre now hold the record for the fastest fifty and century in ODIs. “He played like a champion to get the record and it was his special day,” he said. Afridi held the record for the fastest one-day hundred for nearly 17 years after blasting 102 off 37 balls against Sri Lanka in Nairobi. His record was bettered by New Zealand’s Corey Anderson in 2013 in Queenstown against the West Indies by just one ball.

South African de Villiers improved upon the record against the Windies last week scoring a century from just 31 balls. Afridi said he had never dreamed he could get an ODI hundred in 37 balls when he played in the tri series in Nairobi in 1996. “It just happened that day it was my special day and everything clicked. I hope I get another special day in the coming World Cup if it can happen I will try to get back the record of which I was always proud. But realistically speaking I know that at the number I come to bat at these days one can score a half century but it is really difficult to get a hundred but you never know it could my special day,” he said.

Afridi known as “Boom Boom” for his power hitting once hit a hundred against India from 45 balls in Kanpur in 2005. The seasoned all-rounder, around whom they are a lot of expectations in the World Cup, said he would not be surprised if a day came when even chasing down totals of 350 or 400 would become a norm in 50 overs cricket. “After the rule changes in 50 overs cricket and with the popularity of T20 cricket things are now tilted in the favour of batsmen and in coming days we could see even totals of 400 go down easily,” he said. “Limited overs cricket has really changed dramatically in the last couple of years.”