by Amir Hussain (23 August 2011)

PakPassion is delighted to present an exclusive interview with Tariq Afridi.

Tariq is the eldest brother of former Pakistan captain Shahid and is a keen follower of cricket in his own right.

A medium pace bowler and middle order batsman, Tariq continues to play the great game as and when his business interests and time allows him.

Naturally Tariq is very close to Shahid and as you will see below speaks very highly of his brother.

It was a pleasure meeting Tariq and talking to him at length about a whole host of things. A jovial and very interesting guy with plenty of fascinating stories to share.

Many thanks to Tariq for his time especially given that he'd bowled a lot of overs and was fasting.

(note Mohammad Zahid also adds some comments for one of the questions).


PakPassion.net: How many brothers and sisters do you have?

Tariq Afridi: MashAllah, we are six brothers and five sisters.


PakPassion.net: So are your siblings based in Pakistan and you are based here?

Tariq Afridi: No, I am also based in Pakistan, I just come over during the summer season to play here - as you know months from May to July are very hot in Pakistan so we play cricket here in England and also have a holiday and enjoy ourselves. Our youngest brother owns a business in UK and also 2 of my sisters are based here ? the rest of the family is based in Karachi.


PakPassion.net: So you are playing club cricket here and are also involved in business back home?

Tariq Afridi: Yes, we have a large family business. Some of our family is based here ? we have a holiday here and if there is a need to go back home as well to attend to urgent matters, then I return back.


PakPassion.net: You are based in Karachi?

Tariq Afridi: Yes, we are settled in Karachi since 1980, although my father had been present in the city for a long time, since 1965-70, running a business. We shifted to Karachi, as I said, in 1980.


PakPassion.net: You have played FC and Club level cricket ? tell us a bit more about your cricketing background?

Tariq Afridi: In Karachi, I have played first class cricket. I was a good bowler, but my father was insistent that I should concentrate on my studies ? to become an engineer or a doctor. He did not want me to pursue cricket. Also, I was the eldest brother so all the ?strictness? was used up on me! Due to the fear of displeasing my father, I would study late through the night but in daytime, we would secretly go out and play cricket ? wear a shalwar kamiz over my whites and go to the ground so that no one could see or tell my father. My father would leave early in the morning for work and return at night as we had a transport business. When he returned I would be sitting under a light and studying at night just to make my father very happy. So, it was a little difficult and on top of that, as you know it?s very difficult to play in Pakistan unless you know the right people or have the right contacts. I know from personal experience, that it was very difficult to play for a zone as you just didn?t know the right people.

Shahid was a little boy then and I thought to myself that let me make my father happy and study and maybe I can do something for Shahid as well. Thus, I put a stop to my cricket ambitions and concentrated on my education. I completed a degree in Electronics Engineering from Karachi. This pleased my father as it made him proud that his son had studied engineering from a college ? his wish had come true. 

For Shahid, I worked on making contacts. So I tried to understand and identify important people like selectors or the chairman etc ? even what news reporters to talk to! I guess, I paved the way for Shahid?s progress and in a way sacrificed my ambition. In a way him playing cricket was satisfaction enough for me and in a way it did satisfy my own ambition. Seeing Shahid play for Pakistan was my greatest reward.


PakPassion.net: When did you realise that Shahid had the potential to succeed in cricket?

Tariq Afridi: When I was captain for Under 19 Zone level in Karachi (this is a level below City level), Afridi was 12 years old and use to bowl good leg spin. I thought to myself, who knows when he will get a chance to play, at the least let me play him under my captaincy. In just the first match, the umpires told me that they had seen some really good leg spinners in their time but this child had not bowled a single full toss in 10 overs ? and he?s just a child and he can bowl so well! They said that he will become a really good bowler one day. Then later on, while we were playing street cricket, Haroon Rasheed Bhai who used to live in our area, said that this young boy spins the ball really well. He was in Year Seven, around 11-12 years old when I started to pay attention to his cricket ? I took him to zone matches where he was man of the match for 3 years in under 19 zonal finals.

Mohammad Zahid: I was playing for Multan in one of the finals and he was playing for Karachi ? we had removed 6 or 7 of their batsmen at the Asghar Ali Shah stadium (Karachi) then Shahid came in?scored 78

Tariq Afridi: This was the match where the captain was a wicket keeper and he only liked to used fast bowlers. Shahid was man of the match in that final, he scored 78 and got 4-5 wickets as well. His performances in these finals continued was over 3 years ? one of the matches was in Thatta against Lahore, the Karachi team was all out for 125-130. In the dinner that night by the District Commissioner, he commented that if the match was to be saved, it could only be saved by Shahid otherwise Karachi would lose. When Shahid appeared in the morning, he took eight wickets and they bowled out Lahore for about 90-95 and Karachi were victors ? that is one match that is embedded in my memory. 

Continuing with the same level of performance, he went to the West Indies with the under 19 team. It transpired then that Mushaq Ahmed was declared unfit in Kenya with the senior team and Shahid was called as cover.

Mohammad Zahid: I was also on that tour to Kenya.

Tariq Afridi: Mohatasim Rasheed told us that Wasim Akram remarked that ?who is this little kid? This is not the age to play international cricket. We need a bowler and they have sent in this kid??. Mohtashim insisted to Wasim Bhai that, ?this kid can also bat very well ? he plays for his club ? please try him out.? Then Wasim watched him batting in the nets.


Mohammad Zahid: I came in as replacement for Wasim Akram but Shahid had joined the squad 2-3 days before that. In those days there was this new concept of a pinch hitter ? the idea being that you go in at No 3 and do some hitting i.e. get some quick runs ? something like what Pat Symcox of South Africa did. Anyways, we were in the nets with the team. First the main batsmen batted and then the all rounders and then finally Shahid came out to bat, obviously as not many players knew him at that time. The local bowlers were hard at work and Shahid was hitting them all over the place. Rameez Raja who was then captain said ? why not try him as a pinch hitter? He spoke with Saeed Anwar while I overheard the conversation. Rameez continue saying, lets send him as pinch hitter tomorrow. In the meanwhile Shahid continued hitting some quality bowlers without problems.

The next day when we played Sri Lanka and Rameez told Shahid to pad up ? while Saeed Anwar and Saleem Elahi went in as openers. They told Shahid that you will not go if a wicket fell in the first 6-7 overs ? a regular batsman will go in. On the other hand, you [Shahid] can go in if a wicket falls after 7th over.

I suppose you can put this to fate, it so happened that a wicket fell round the 7th over. Shahid was about to go in when Rameez picked up his bat and said I will go in. Then as fate would have it, he had a second thought and asked Shahid to go instead.

He walked in. In my life, I have not seen a day like this! He hit every ball hard and cleared not only the boundary but actually went out of the ground! He would hit decent balls so hard. In a strange way, he would hit decent balls for six and then block innocuous deliveries. It was difficult to understand how he could hit difficult balls like that and then block other deliveries with ease! Basically he hit and hit the ball that day!"


PakPassion.net: Tariq Bhai, do you follow Pakistani or domestic cricket?

Tariq Afridi: I do follow but due to nature of my business, I don?t get so much time to spend on this. However, I do watch any match that involves Pakistan and if Shahid is playing then I watch to see if he is making any mistakes or not!


PakPassion.net: Do you scold him if Shahid plays a bad shot or makes a mistake?

Tariq Afridi: Obviously ? in the early days, I used to go to all his matches. Even Javed Miandad used to say, 'Tariq, please help Shahid understand as we don?t know how to explain things to him when he makes mistakes!' I recall when Aamir Sohail was captain and they went to Canada, he also asked me to help Shahid understand!

Whenever there was a match in Sharjah, I would signal to him to let him know where I was located in the audience. I used to wonder how he would figure out where I would be in the middle of so many people! It goes without saying that I couldn?t enjoy the game as I would be tense, worried about what Shahid would do next! Others could sit and enjoy the match but I would be sitting in prayers, scratching my head wondering what he would do next. I guess that time passed as well.


PakPassion.net: Apart from Shahid, of course, who are your favourite cricketers?

Tariq Afridi: If you ask my opinion, I would say Imran Khan was my favourite cricketer. Then I would rate Mohsin Khan whom I really liked ? he was a great player in his time, I really liked him. After that, there are others but the person I followed the most was Imran Khan.


PakPassion.net: You mentioned that you have been on tour with the team to Canada and other places?

Tariq Afridi: Yes, I would go everywhere with the team. Shahid was a like a child in those days. He needed guidance at all stages ? he would commit some mistakes and the fallout would be on me. So I used to be with him to guide him. As Zahid knows that in Pakistan team if a kid gets too much fame at an early age then a lot of people feel threatened by it. So I had to be careful and make sure I had good relations with players. It?s a fact that Wasim, Waqar, Aamir Sohail, Mushtaq, Saeed Anwar, Inzamam, Moin all respected me a lot while I was on tour with them. If at anytime they needed anything, they would say, ?Let?s ask Tariq.? They would trust me a lot ? their families would also insist that I would accompany them on the tour and be with them in the stadium. So I guess it was a family friendly atmosphere and it all passed off very well ? that was most enjoyable.


PakPassion.net: Shahid, like any other cricketer, has had highs and lows during his career. How do you rate his career?

Tariq Afridi: Let me tell you that if I look at the history of Pakistani cricket, Shahid will be the only player who has still made his way into the team after being ?out? of it so many times. No other player can be out of the team and retain his position ? it?s very difficult. I would say that he was very lucky but whenever he was in trouble, he would perform well to prove that yes, he had the talent to perform. He was in and out many times and as they say, the lows and highs have been many in his career. That?s how its been.


PakPassion.net: He must still ask you for advice ? what do you say to him?

Tariq Afridi: I have been very busy in the past 3-4 years. Initially for about 8 years I used to advise him on all subjects including whom to meet or interview with ? in the early days he didn't even have a mobile phones. However, regretfully, I have been very busy in the past 5 years or so and he must have picked up some new advisors, but he is a grown man now ? he is taking his own decisions.


PakPassion.net: When Shahid resigned after captaining the side for just one match, what did you say to him about whether he should have continued with the captaincy or not?

Tariq Afridi: Well not only I but my father who doesn?t know cricket that well that said you shouldn?t ?lay down your arms? or surrender so easily. Even if you wanted to give up captaincy, you should have done it after that tour.

However, given what was to happen later, Allah (SWT) helped him make the right decision as we all know what happened later. Shahid knew that this would happen ? he even informed the board asking them not to allow him [Mazhar Majeed] near the team as he was making open financial offers to the team. When he saw that, he stepped back and those who didn?t listen to him got rewarded with notoriety! Sometimes, its best to leave these things to Allah (SWT). All I know is that there was so much talk of this business that Shahid stepped back.


PakPassion.net: Shahid played wonderfully in the ICC World Cup 2011 but then gave up captaincy of ODI and T20 squads. What did you say to him after that?

Tariq Afridi: Look Bhai, it is the first time and Zahid can back me up on this that a team lost in the World Cup against arch rivals India and still people appreciated it him so much ? they even thanked him with financial rewards. One cannot ask for more respect than that.

After all that, if the PCB remove him from captaincy without any valid reason ? and let me say that if Waqar is coach, he should keep to his work. Team selection is not the coaches business as that is something a captain is answerable for.

If Waqar wants to create a ?Lahore Lobby? influence on the team, then there is no end to the damage that can do. How can Shahid be removed from captaincy for this reason? Please tell me?

Let?s take Intikhab Alam. He is a ?two faced? person. He will say something to your face and say another thing behind your back. Its just that there are too many hypocrites. Unfortunately, with such people you either descend to their level or else you cannot keep up with them.


PakPassion.net: What do you see as the future of the Pakistani cricket team?

Tariq Afridi: If this is how things are progressing then the cricket team will become just like the Pakistani hockey team - One hundred percent like the dismal condition of the hockey team!

Discuss!