Shaheen Shah Afridi can make a great javelin thrower
Do cricket and javelin have similarities? World renowned coach who also trained Arshad Nadeem, Terseus Liebenberg, picks the Pak ODI Captain as an athlete that can switch from cricket to javelin
Photo: PCB/REUTERS
It is easy to imagine Olympic record holder javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem being a cricketer, particularly a fast bowler, with his tall physique.
Still, if we must pick one cricketer who can become a javelin thrower, it would be Pakistan’s One Day International captain and fast bowler Shaheeh Shah Afridi, according to the world-renowned coach Terseus Liebenberg.
Arshad wanted to be a cricketer, it is a known fact, and one thing that he had told me back in 2018, right after he had bagged his Asian Games bronze medal, way before he became the international sensation.
He tried his hand at all the disciplines in athletics before setting his heart on being a cricketer; however, he dropped the idea once he understood that there was way more competition to get a place among the national team squad.
Also, he made the brave choice of abandoning the most popular and lucrative sport for javelin, because he knew he could pave a path for himself in it; it was a gamble, he knew he would either sink or swim, but he took the chance anyway, which in retrospect paid off spectacularly.
It is safe to say that cricket’s loss was the world javelin throwing community’s gain as Arshad ended up winning Pakistan’s first individual gold medal at the Olympics in Paris, and he did it in style when he made the record with a 92.97 m throw at Stade de France on August 8, 2024.
Terseus was there in Paris to witness Arshad’s throw while he was supporting South Africa’s Jo-Ane van Dyk, who went on to win the silver medal in the women’s javelin throw event.
Terseus had coached Arshad directly in 2022 and 2023 at Potchefstroom, South Africa, later he had been in a consultation role for the Pakistani athlete.
Do cricket and javelin throwing have any similarities?
During a conversation with the South African coach, if cricket and javelin throwing have any similarities, as he spoke of Arshad coming into the sport with a cricket background, he affirmed that there are similarities in terms of movement.
Photo: NEWS24
While Arshad could have been a great cricketer too, Shaheen Shah Afridi would make an excellent thrower as well.
“Arshad is blessed with a lot of talent, and it does make sense that he switched from bowling to javelin throw, because the run-ups are similar. He would have made a great cricketer if he wanted. I think… Shaheen Afridi can become a javelin thrower.
“We can take him and train him here in Potchefstroom, South Africa, because he is tall and has that strength and physique,” Terseus told Lost on the Desk during an exclusive interview earlier this year, while adding that he does see the Pakistani cricket team as a talented bunch, and praising the spinners in it.
In Pakistan cricket has been the most popular sport, while athletics has been a forsaken discipline that is only gaining more traction due to Arshad Nadeem.
But, surely, there is a lot more awareness about javelin throwing now, and more people are tuning in to watch javelin events like the World Championships and even Islamic Solidarity Games javelin event where Arshad Nadeem had most recently competed.
In your opinion, which cricketers do you think can make good javelin throwers, and which javelin throwers do you think have a potential for making decent cricketers?
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