Shahid Afridi ready to extend his Test career
Pakistan’s T20 leader Shahid Afridi has decided to end his self-imposed exile from Test cricket after making himself available for this summer’s Test series against England and Australia to be held in England.
Pakistan has been lacking a proper Test and one-day captain since its catastrophic tour of Australia earlier this year, where they were washed out in all three formats of game. The green shirts lost all five one-day matches, were comprehensively cleaned up in the three Test matches while even a ball gnawing act from Shahid Afridi could not save Pakistan from losing the T20 match against the mighty Australians.
Afridi’s decision to play Test cricket will come as a huge boost for a team which is fighting it out without a major chunk of their senior players. Younus Khan, Shoaib Malik, Muhammad Yousuf and Rana Naveed Ul Hassan, have all been removed from the cricketing setup of Pakistan for good, following a spate of bans imposed on them by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Pakistan will play two “home” tests against Australia in England before a four-match Test series against the English side.
Afridi claimed that the journey from going into exile from Test cricket and coming back to it was a completely personal decision. Popularly known for his reputation to play attacking cricket, “boom boom Afridi” is gearing up to play the longer version of the game because his country needs his services at this juncture.
"I am ready to play Test cricket because I feel that my country needs me and in this time of need I would not let my team and the country down," Afridi said.
Earlier in his career, a string of failures in the Test arena had forced the all-rounder to announce his retirement from Test cricket as he wanted to focus on the limited-overs cricket. Shahid, who hails from the Khyber Agency, claimed that one-day internationals and T20 games suit his aggressive approach.
He said, "Some of my well wishers and supporters wanted me to return to Test cricket. But it's the end of Test cricket for me and it's my firm decision."
This is Afridi’s second comeback into Test cricket. Previously Afridi, on April 12, 2006, announced a temporary retirement from Test cricket. However, after intense discussions with Shaharyar Khan, the then PCB chairman, Afridi reversed his decision on April 27, 2006.
So far, Afridi has played 26 test matches, scoring 1,683 runs at a rate of 37.40 runs per match. This includes five centuries and 8 half-centuries with a top score of 156 runs in an innings. Due to his ability to hit the big shots, “Boom Boom” Afridi has a strike rate of 86.13 in test cricket as well.
As far as Afridi’s bowling in Tests’ is concerned, he has bowled 3,092 balls with 47 balls earning him a wicket. His bowling average in Test matches is 34.89 as compared to an ODI bowling average of 34.53 runs per wicket. Afridi has performed brilliantly with his quick-leg breaks as he showed with an all-time best bowling performance against India to end at 5 for 52.
Afridi has an attack-oriented batting style that is very aggressive in nature as well. With a one-day strike rate of 111.65 runs per 100 balls, the player has a number of achievements to his name. As of 21 February 2010, “Boom Boom Afridi” is enjoying the highest strike-rate in the cricketing world to date. A cross-batted flick to the leg-side to a ball outside off stump is Afridi’s trademark shot.
On the bowling side, the leg-break is his stock ball. However, a conventional off break, which he delivers at nearly 80 mph in a medium-pacer style, is there in his armory as well.
He was appointed skipper of the Twenty20 squad after Younis Khan retired from T20 cricket last year. Afridi led the green shirts to the semi-finals of the recently concluded World Twenty20 in the West Indies.
He has been entrusted to captain Pakistan in the upcoming Asia Cup, to be held in Sri Lanka from June 15-24. Afridi’s move to end his exile from test cricket has made him the favorite to lead the green shirts on the tour to England as well.
Afridi did however accept that the upcoming Asia Cup in June and the tour to England in July are challenging tasks to say the least.
"We have not played enough Test cricket in the recent past... but if we play to our potential and with unity, we can do well," he said.
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