During the couple of days of Ice Cricket at St Moritz tournament, Afridi at times even beat Virender Sehwag in terms of popularity thanks to the presence of a larger number of expatriate Pakistani fans, who had thronged St Moritz.
The moment he entered the playing area wearing the orange jumper, St Moritz turned into a ‘Lala Land’ as everyone wanted a piece of their beloved ‘Lala’, as Pakistani fans affectionately call Afridi.
Afridi was a different man at different times.
He autographed the posters, even a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf flag, obliged all the selfie seekers, seemed a tad irritated with multiple one-on-one interview requests, took his wife and youngest daughter out for a walk down the lake and did not even give a second glance at a young Pakistani woman, who in front of everyone shouted “Lala aapse kabhi alag se mil sakti hoon (Can I meet you somewhere else?).”
And yes, he played cricket too and tried to hit out as he would do often during his green jersey days. And the result was more often than not his downfall. It happened the same way but no one cared.
With Shahid Afridi, there are no half measures — they all love the man more than the player.