T20 cricket has actually helped Test cricket: Afridi

Contrary to Mohammed Yousuf's assumption that Twenty20 cricket would eventually destroy Test cricket, Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi says it has actually made the five-day games more result-oriented.

Test skipper Yousuf feels that batsmen these days are paying more attention to adjust to the slam-bang format and hardly care to develop technique, which is essential to be successful in Test cricket.

However, T20 skipper Afridi differs with Yousuf.

"I don't think that will happen because Test and ODIs both have their own charm. Infact I would say T20 cricket has introduced a more positive attitude in players and led to Tests also being played more aggressively and being more result oriented," Afridi said.

"What we need to do is strike the right balance in our teams for all three formats of the sport," he added.

Afridi advocated the need to develop the national teams according to the abilities of the players.

"Already we have certain players who are Test specialists including Yousuf himself, then they are players who are specialists for the limited overs cricket and in the third category they are players who are adjust in all three forms of the sport.

"It would not be a bad idea if we can build our Test, ODI and T20 teams according to this policy. We need to groom and develop our players accordingly," Afridi said.

Afridi, who was dropped for the Test series against Australia, said he was always available for his country and if the team management or selectors asked him to join the team for the Tests he would not hesitate to join.

"I would be willing to sacrifice my contract with South Australia if the team needed by services in the Test matches," said Afridi who had announced that he wants to concentrate on ODIs and T20 cricket until the 2011 World Cup.

Afridi said he still believed that Pakistan could beat Australia in the remaining two Tests if the batsmen perform well.

"We should take heart and play the last two Tests with more vigor and focus," he said.

'My Test career as good as over'

Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq, while stressing that retirement is still a long way off for him, has said that his Test career is almost over as the selectors are not to keen to recall him.

Talking to media persons, Razzaq said that the national selectors have told him that they would not consider him for any Test team in the future.

Razzaq, 30, said he now wants to focus more on the One-day and T20 formats of the game.

"I have no issues with that. I have around two years of international cricket left in me and doing well in next year's Twenty20 World Cup and then in the 2011 World Cup for my team are now my main ambitions," The Daily Times quoted Razzaq, as saying.

Razzaq, who has played 46 Test matches, said with the increasing amount of limited overs cricket being played internationally, keeping oneself fit for these forms was in itself a demanding task.