Shahid Afridi might retire from ODIs after 2015 ICC World Cup to focus on T20s
Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has indicated his desire to quit ODI cricket in order to focus only on T20 format in the coming years. Afridi, who retired from Test cricket in 2010, told reporters in Karachi on Friday that will give serious thought to retiring from 50-over cricket after the 2015 ICC World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
"I might do this because the PCB has appointed me captain of the national T20 side until the World T20 in 2016 and I want to focus completely on building a strong team that is capable of winning back the title for Pakistan," Afridi said.
"I quit Test cricket because I was not enjoying it and felt I was not contributing enough as a player. I enjoy playing limited overs cricket but after the World Cup, I can rethink my priorities for ODIs."
The 34-year-old said that he enjoys playing T20 cricket because of the fast-paced nature of the game and wants to give full attention to a format that has rapidly grown in popularity over the last few years.
"It is a different brand of game and you have to be at your best and what I like is that it is so popular among the masses," he said.
Afridi’s business commitments and charity work in addition to the lucrative offers he is getting to play in T20 leagues around the world are also factors he will have to take into account when he considers his ODI future after next year’s World Cup.
Afridi’s appointment as Pakistan T20 captain following Mohammad Hafeez’s resignation has gone down well among the Pakistani cricket-loving public including former captain Younis Khan. "Shahid is a fighter by nature and he knows the art of motivating the team and leading from the front. I would love to see him lift the 2016 World T20," Younis, under whose captaincy Pakistan won their only T20 World Cup in England in 2009, said.
Younis added that Pakistan’s performances in the upcoming world events depend on how well Afridi and Misbah ul Haq, the ODI captain, perform. He urged them to play positively and not be weighed down by the pressures of captaincy.
"We can do well in the coming World Cup provided we play as a unit and the captains lead from the front. The event is also a great opportunity for our senior players to leave a big impact on Pakistan cricket," he concluded.