Top 5 memorable performances by Shahid Afridi

5. 76 runs off 55 balls and 7/12 (Pakistan vs West Indies, Guyana, July 2013)

This performance ranks right up with Afridi’s scintillating debut hundred in ODI cricket 17 years ago. With pacer Jason Holder breathing fire in an inspired spell of 8-4-8-4, Pakistan were in deep trouble at 47/5. Afridi came in and changed the tone of the match with his uninhibited, incandescent power hitting that left the hosts shell-shocked.

His marauding knock was studded with six fours and five massive sixes; he hit Sunil Narine out of the attack before blowing Darren Sammy, Dwayne Bravo and Marlon Samuels away with his ferocious onslaught. Pakistan recovered from the early jitters to post 224/9 in their 50 overs.

After Mohammad Irfan’s hostile opening spell and a brilliant run-out from skipper Misbah-ul-Haq left the Windies reeling at 7/3, Afridi shut them out of the game with his greatest ever bowling performance: his odd mixture of leg-breaks, sliders, slower ones and the occasional off-break completely demolished the batting lineup, as the hosts collapsed for just 98 runs in 41 overs.

Maverick, flamboyant and highly effective, Shahid Khan Afridi still has plenty of cricket left in him. The cricket world can never get enough of Boom Boom!