LAHORE — Pakistan Tuesday re-appointed Shahid Afridi as its Twenty20 captain until 2016, three years after he was removed following a fall out with coach Waqar Younis and the cricket board. The 34-year-old all-rounder led Pakistan to the semifinals of the World Twenty20 in 2010 and then to the same stage of the World Cup (50 overs) a year later. But after the tour of the West Indies in May 2011 where Pakistan won the one-day series 3-2, he developed differences with Waqar and then Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt and was removed. Pakistan's Twenty20 captaincy has remained vacant since Mohammad Hafeez stepped down following the team's first round exit from the World Twenty20 in Bangladesh in April this year. “Afridi has been announced as captain of the Pakistan T20 squad till the ICC World Twenty20 in India in 2016,” the PCB said in a statement. The PCB also said it would retain Misbahul Haq as captain of the Test and one-day teams till next year's ICC World Cup amid speculation he could be sacked following a disastrous tour of Sri Lanka where the team lost both Tests and the three-match one-day series 2-1. Misbah, 40, has captained Pakistan in 74 ODIs, with a win-loss record of 40-31. Afridi's first assignment will be a lone Twenty20 game against Australia in Dubai on Oct. 5 followed by two more games against New Zealand in the United Arab Emirates in December. Afridi led Pakistan in 19 Twenty20 matches in his first stint, winning eight and losing 11. Pakistan will also play three one-dayers and two Tests against Australia. “Afridi's bowling is very good in Twenty20s and we should back him,” former captain Mohammad Yousuf told Geo Television. “He just needs to take the rest of his teammates with him.” Afridi is the world's third highest wicket-taker in T20s, with 77 wickets from 74 matches, eight behind top wicket-taker Saeed Ajmal, who was has been suspended for a suspect action, and six behind fast bowler Umar Gul. Afridi said he was looking forward to a new beginning under Waqar, who himself was re-appointed coach in May, his second stint in the job. “Whatever happened is in the past now. I have started a new beginning with Waqar.” He continued: “I will do my best to give better results and develop fighting spirits in the players. “This game is not for chicken-hearted, so we have to remove the fear of failure from the players' minds.” Pakistan batting great Javed Miandad hailed the decision to reappoint Afridi as T20 captain but cautioned the all-rounder not to take the position for granted. In a interview Tuesday, Miandad said Afridi's form with the bat would be crucial for the team and that Pakistan could no longer afford his slapdash approach. — Agencies
