Karachi: If fan following was a yardstick of greatness in cricket, Pakistan&rsquo;s colourful all-rounder Shahid Afridi would probably be ranked his country&rsquo;s greatest ever player. Ever since he hit a 37-ball hundred in only his second one-day international &mdash; against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996 &mdash; Afridi has been a cult figure in Pakistan.
<img title="Shahid Afridi" src="http://images.mid-day.com/images/2015/jan/S-Afridi0101.jpg" alt="Shahid Afridi" /> Shahid Afridi
His announcement last week that he was quitting one-day cricket after next year&rsquo;s World Cup has left his millions of fans pondering: who to watch after him? No cricketer in Pakistan has had the persona and the box office pull of the hyperactive, big-hitting Afridi, who filled stadiums throughout his career &mdash; and often emptied them when he was out.
The fervour for watching him bat was such that when he was dismissed first ball by an unknown Zimbabwe bowler in Peshawar a few days after his world record hundred, the crowd chanted: &ldquo;Try ball, let Afridi bat again!&rdquo;
Girls swooned for a glimpse of him and many wanted to marry him. In 2004 two women came in bridal dress to a ground and were only convinced to leave after meeting him face to face. Afridi won hearts with his unorthodox, buccaneering style &mdash; ignoring the coaching manual to rely on swagger and raw talent.
It was an approach tailor-made for TV and Afridi&rsquo;s career coincided with the explosion of Pakistani media that followed General Pervez Musharraf&rsquo;s liberalisation of the sector in 2002.

Girls swooned for a glimpse of him and many wanted to marry him. In 2004 two women came in bridal dress to a ground and were only convinced to leave after meeting him face to face

Shahid Afridi's ODI exit leaves a void for fans

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Shahid Afridi's ODI exit leaves a void for fans

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