Blunt Afridi turns his back on Tests

Julian Guyer

Shahid Afridi did not pull any punches as he announced his decision to quit Test cricket after captaining Pakistan to a crushing 150-run defeat in their series opener with Australia here at Lord’s.

“I’m not good enough for Test cricket,” said the hard-hitting batsman with a frankness matched only by the crassness of the shot that got him out on Friday.

But he insisted his decision, which will leave the infamously unstable Pakistan having to pick a seventh Test captain in three years, had nothing to do with the greater financial rewards on offer in Twenty20 cricket.

“I’ve got enough money. If I was playing for money I’d continue as a captain of the Test team.”

Afridi did not appear to have given his decision to retire from Test cricket much thought, saying, to much laughter from the assembled reporters, he’d made his mind up “when I got out”. Pakistan, chasing what would have been a new fourth innings record 440 to win, were bowled out for 289 as Australia went 1-0 up in this two-match series with more than a day to spare.

Afridi, who hadn’t played Test cricket for four years, was recalled to lead a largely inexperienced team in the absence of Mohammad Yousuf and Younus Khan, both banned after Pakistan’s 3-0 series loss in Australia earlier this year.

Given that on that tour Afridi was himself in disciplinary trouble for biting the ball during a one-day match in Perth, handing him the captaincy always looked risky. Nicknamed `Boom Boom’ for his hard-hitting approach in limited overs cricket, the 30-year-old proved utterly unwilling to modify his style in the longer format at Lord’s, where Pakistan’s defeat was compounded by Australia part-time spinner Marcus North taking six wickets for 55 runs on Friday.

LONDON, Sunday AFP