PCB considering Afridi for Test captaincy

After making him captain of their Twenty20 team, Pakistan Cricket Board may anoint Shahid Afridi as skipper of the Test team as well.

Pakistan are scheduled to play the Asia Test series against England and Australia in the United Kingdom after the Asia Cup in Sri Lanka.

Wasim Bari, the PCB Chief Operating Officer, said Afridi was one the candidates whom the Board will consider for the Test and One-day captaincy after the T20 World Cup.

"I personally believe that he brings a lot of energy to the team and I have never seen the team prepare so hard for a tournament as they did for the T20 World Cup," he said.

"He is someone who leads by example which is what we need now," he added.

Afridi has not played a Test for Pakistan since mid 2006 and has largely concentrated on limited overs cricket.

But before leaving for the West Indies, Afridi had said that he may consider return to Test cricket.

"Captaincy is always a big honour for any player in any form of the sport and it is not as if I have totally given up on playing Test matches," he had said.

Bari said that the board was optimistic about the team doing well in the World Cup although it was hard to predict a winner.

"The main thing is that the team has prepared very hard and the players are very eager to do well and to bring some joy to the people."