What Defines Genius?

The dictionary defines genius as an exceptional natural capacity of intellect or talent.

Becoming the youngest ever player to hit an odi century hints at fantastic potential.

Hitting both the quickest and third quickest odi centuries of all time show an exceptional talent.

Scoring over 5500 odi runs and taking over 250 wickets show a player who has truly reached the top level of the international game.

But until recently Shahid Afridi has been thought of as a maverick, people have never been convinced that he could truly be classed as one of crickets geniuses.

Sunday changed all this.

Pakistans captaincy is the one position in international sport that can truly be classed as poisoned chalice. Shoaib Malik, Younes Kahn and Mohammed Yousuf have all been claimed as victims recently. Afridi saw these catastrophes as clearly as a Harbhajan Singh off break and smacked the problem out of the way in the same fashion. Afridi wasn't tampering with the ball, he was dodging a bullet. He was skillfully sidestepping the potentially career ending appointment as Pakistan captain by comitting pretty much about the worst crime he could in his first match. In the most obvious way he possibly could.

Afridi figured out what the previous captains missed, no matter how much the captain tries, disaster will befall them. Afridi it comitting this in his first match, has condensed the whole captaincy into one game, saving himself the prolonged stress and loss of form that has stricken the previous captains. Surely keeping Afridi in form is in Pakistan's best interests and therefore Afridi performed his role as captain perfectly. Boom Boom surely then finally outwitted the Pakistani captaincy curse and if that isn't genius, nothing ever will be.

Either that or its the worst sporting breakdown in the face of pressure since Van de Velde at the British Open.

Friday List- Top 5 Literal Biggest Mouths

In honour of Andy Murrays vein bursting celebration in his Australian Open semi-final win over Marian Cilic on thursday, I've compiled a list of sports Biggest Mouths (in the literal sense).


5. David Haye

The Hayemaker deserves to be on this list because of the huge size of his mouth. He would also place on a top 5 of figurative biggest mouth as well with quotes like this, ' I only have to turn up sober and on time' (on what he had to do to beat Enzo Maccarinelli).

4.Wayne Rooney

People hardly ever open their mouth as wide as possible, there are reasons for this, its uncomfortable and polite society consider it to be unusual. Rooney must be immune to the dual terrors of discomfort and condemnation because he has his mouth at its fullest more than he has it closed

3. Rio Ferdinand

Another United player, this mouth seems to manage to celebrate all United's goals, no matter where Rio was on the pitch when it was scored.

2. David Villa

Villa's mouth looks like a black hole, and not just any black hole. It looks like the type that would never be satiated, sucking in stars and destroying planets. I don't think it does do that type of thing but I wouldn't go anywhere near it. Just to be sure.

1. Andy Murray

This is actually the biggest mouth in the world. That isn't hyperbole that is actual fact. If Murray starts to slip to defeat on sunday it wouldn't matter, he could just eat Federer whole. Definately sounds like a viable Plan B to me.

Hounourable mentions also go to Lleyton Hewitt, Serena Williams and Freddie Flintoff

A beginning....

I have decided to start a blog about sports. Not because I feel like I have anything insightful or witty to say, more that after months of suggestion from my blog obssessed girlfriend, I have finally run out of excuses and decided that instead of boring her to brink of a break up with my hour long lectures in which she has no interest, I shall instead blog every thought about sports I have until my keyboard is nothing more than a steaming pile of sludge. The sports I will mainly be writing about are cricket, tennis and football but I am excellent at jumping on a bandwagon and delivering epic monolgoues about subjects I have no idea about, so expect poorly written and factually incorrect articles about events like the winter olympics and six nations. It won't be pretty but if I want to avoid the indignity of being dumped then it is essential.

With that in mind then, here are some facts about me:

• I am a Liverpool fc, Lancashire CC and England supporter unfortunately, this means I have a excellent grounding in underachivement
• I love lists and countdowns, so expect lots of posts which make you boil with anger
• My all time hero is Michael Atherton. Despite this his batting style used to bore me to death. Clearly this doesn't make any sense but it is the truth.
• I have a fascination with history but seem to be unable to differentiate between then and now, expect my most passionate posts to be about ten years out of date