Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket by CricketArchive Staff Reporter

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Player:	Shahid Afridi
Event:	Pakistan in England 2010

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DateLine: 18th July 2010

 

Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has said that he will retire from Test cricket following the second Test against Australia at Headingley starting next Wednesday.

 

Afridi made his announcement to BBC Radio after leading Pakistan in a 150-run defeat in the first Test at Lord's. He said he no longer had the temperament for the five-day game after what was his first Test in four years.

 

The 30-year-old Afridi has played 27 Tests since making his debut against Australia in Karachi in 1998, scoring 1,716 runs at an average of 36.51 with five hundreds and a best of 156 against India in Faisalabad in 2006. He has also taken 48 Test wickets with his leg-breaks.

 

Pakistan coach, Waqar Younis, stated that he was brought back into the test team after four years to revitalize the test team. However, this announcement has left him flummoxed. When inquired about whether he took this decision in haste, he stated that Afridi has always acted in this way and it is an emotional decision.

 

Meanwhile, Shahid Afridi has said that this decision was spontaneous and feels he made the right decision. "The captain should be an example for the youngsters but that was not an example. I was in two minds whether to play my natural game or whether to take my time. You can say I was weak mentally. I am just not good enough for Test cricket."