Stats Prove Shahid Afridi Was the Best Power-Hitter in the World

Stats Prove Shahid Afridi Was the Best Power-Hitter in the World

 Incredible all-rounder, Shahid Afridi engaged the cricketing fans all over the planet with his all-activity all-round abilities for more than thirty years. Afridi, who is set to resign from all types of cricket after the seventh release of Pakistan Super League (PSL), reported himself on the world stage back in 1996 when he struck a record-breaking 37 ball century in his first ODI innings in global cricket.

From that point forward, Afridi's power-hitting ability was dreaded all over the planet and notwithstanding his irregularities with the bat, he was viewed as probably the best hitter across the globe. Afridi's capacity to pivot a match inside a space of a couple of overs was probably Pakistan's greatest strength all through the 1990s and 2000s.

While he transformed into a-list spinner later on in his profession, his incidental rush with the bat close by had the fans stuck to their TV screens.

Afridi holds the record for the most noteworthy strike rate in ODIs in thirty years. No other player on the planet had a preferred strike rate over Afridi during the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s, which grandstands his class as a power-hitter. India's Kapil Dev was a remarkable cricketer too and he holds the record for best strike rate during the 1980s, 10 years too soon for the always green Shahid Afridi.

How about we view the ODI strike rate breakdown as the decades progressed:

Player	Decade	Matches	Runs	Strike Rate
Kapil Dev	1980s	143	2,869	101.91
Shahid Afridi	1990s	93	2,069	103.91
Shahid Afridi	2000s	195	3,761	115.08
Shahid Afridi	2010s	110	2,234	136.80

*Minimum 1,000 runs in a decade

The 46-year old might be retiring soon but his impact on the global game is there to stay. Afridi made his international debut more than 26 years ago, at a time when players were not renowned for hitting sixes on every other ball but he brought in a new mindset in cricket which shows that he was miles ahead of others in his time.