Afridi vs. Vettori: A Tale of Two All-Rounders

Judging by their performances in the current ODI series, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and New Zealand's Daniel Vettori look set to play major parts in their country's forthcoming World Cup campaigns.

Afridi is topping his team's bowling charts in most departments and has also blasted 143 runs, including a 21-ball half-century in Sharjah, at a rapid rate.

While Vettori, despite being rested in the third ODI, has continued his impressive recent international comeback to lead his team in terms of economy rate.

Now, let's face it, apart from sharing a similar job title—spinning all-rounder—these cricketers are completely opposite in terms of playing style. But which one would you want in your team? 

Let's compare these two skilful all-rounders.

Batting

	ODI Innings	Runs	Average	Strike Rate	Highest Score
Afridi	358	7753	23.35	115.59	124
Vettori	177	2151	17.20	81.97	83

Vettori, who made his Test debut as an 18-year-old (a New Zealand record), started out primarily as a bowler. However, over time, his batting progressed with age until he became classed as a genuine all-rounder.

In fact, the former Kiwi skipper's solid technique and pragmatic approach has led to him becoming the leading No. 8 run scorer in Test cricket history, according to HowStat.com, and his calm lower-middle order presence clearly boosts the Black Caps.

Afridi on the other hand only knows one way to bat. Ever since exploding onto the scene with a 37-ball century aged just 17, the Pakistani ace demands everyone's attention when he walks to the wicket.

Of course, his ultra-attacking ethos is also a low-percentage strategy meaning he misses out regularly which can be frustrating when patience and restraint is called for.

Bowling

	ODI Wickets	Average	Strike Rate	Economy Rate	Best Figures
Afridi	386	34.03	44.1	4.62	7/12
Vettori	286	31.88	46.3	4.12	5/7

The Auckland-born Vettori has never been a huge turner of the ball using his metronomic accuracy and tight bowling lines to create pressure instead.

This makes him extremely valuable in ODI cricket where a miserly economy rate can often be more important than taking wickets.

Afridi loves to give the ball a rip, and, like his batting, it can go either way. On his day, "Boom Boom" can tear through sides and take wickets in clutches.

But when things don't go right, he can be made to look like a part-time spinner with half-trackers and full tosses giving the opposition easy runs.

Character

Hannah Peters/Getty Images

Often bearded and bespectacled, Vettori looks more like an innocuous geography teacher rather than a top-class sportsman.

But he obviously commanded plenty of respect from his peers as he, relatively succesfully, captained New Zealand across all formats for a half-decade.

Conversely, Afridi has the poster-boy looks that have netted him a small fortune from various sponsorship deals and is very much a mega star of cricket.

The "glitz and glamour" didn't stop the all-rounder from leading Pakistan in white-ball cricket for a number of years although he only lasted for just one game as Test skipper.

The Decision

So, the big question is: Which player would you prefer in your side? The safe and consistent but perhaps not as dynamic option in Vettori? Or the erratic roller-coaster ride that is Afridi delivering the ridiculous and the sublime in equal measure? Let us know in the poll.