‘Boom Boom Afridi’, who turns 36 today, has come to symbolise the current revolution in cricket.
The Pakistan all-rounder has cast aside the shackles of the Test game and made his name as one of the great entertainers in the shorter, Twenty20 format.
The aggressive right-handed batsman is regarded as one of the greatest big-hitting cricketers of all time, where he has the longest six of any form of the sport. His overall skill is also shown by holding the record for the most wickets in T20.
Afridi made his international debut as a 16-yearold, being drafted into the Pakistan side because of his leg-spinning ability. His explosive form with the bat soon exposed him to a wider audience.
He has since been at the vanguard for the shorter form, currently captaining the Pakistan T20 side as well as playing for franchises across the globe.
1953: Carlos Queiroz, Portuguese former Real Madrid coach who is currently in charge of Iran (63).
1956: Mark Todd, New Zealand horseman who won gold at the 1984 and 1988 Olympics in individual eventing (60).
1979: Mikkel Kessler, retired Danish boxer who is a fourtime super middleweight world champion (37).
1996: Ye Shiwen, Chinese swimmer who won gold in the 400m and 200m individual medley at London 2012 (20).
