Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Yeah...I really feel he should reconsider his decision...cricket would lose a very entertaining player in test cricket...
I dont know if there was a particular reason why he made this decision...Did ne of the selectors/players say something to him tht led him to make this decision or did he just do this to have the selectors make him a permanent selection in the test squad??
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
AFRIDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII,....just herd him in an interview on GEO,.........saying that he needs 2 focus more on ODI's and it is too much 4 him what wid county cricket etc,.....................y can't he stop playing that instead?,....i am sure Pakistan need him more then Ireland does,.......................
He says he wants 2 stay fit,....................
on the UP side,.......... he is definitely goin 2 reconsider coming bak after the WC,....but then agen evry1 says that but then dey jus disappear,.............
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi Retires From Test Cricket
Please dont call England minnow. :D
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
just gt shouted at by my dad 4 over-reacting abt afridi,..........................no-one understands the complexity of this problem,......................AFRIDIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII
and i gt told 2 let him give sum tym 2 his wife if he wants 2,..............
OUR NEED IS GREATER,.....................NA JAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Idiotic and "attention-whore" like decision from Afridi. If he has done this out of spite for not including him in the last test against Sri Lanka, he doesn't deserve to represent Pakistan in the one day format either.
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Well said Faisal bhai :k:
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
If he is not a valuable member of the team, then you should say "good riddance!". If he is a valuable member of the team, then you should say "too bad, hope he reconsiders".
Whats with throwing keechar on a player who decided to bow out? If you are disappointed that he is leaving then to insult him is a weird way of showing your disappointment. Or may be you all want him to get your permission before announcing his retirement and right now feel offended? :p
Faisal bhai, he is a valuable player, so no "good riddance", the reason of keechar throwing is his reason of quitting :p
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Here is another article:
Pakistan allrounder springs a surprise
Afridi announces 'retirement' from Tests
Osman Samiuddin
April 12, 2006
Shahid Afridi: opting out of Test cricket and will miss the tour of England © Getty Images
Shahid Afridi has announced a temporary `retirement' from Test cricket. In an announcement that caught many in Pakistan by complete surprise, Afridi said that he was planning to concentrate only on ODI cricket to ready himself for the World Cup in 2007. But, in a typically Pakistani twist, Afridi said that he would reconsider his `retirement' from Tests after the World Cup.
Speaking to Cricinfo, Afridi played down the news: "It's not such a big decision. I want to concentrate on one form of cricket till the World Cup and that is ODIs. *I will reconsider the decision to play Tests after the World Cup. As it is there aren't too many Tests till the World Cup so it isn't such a big deal." *
Afridi cited a variety of reasons for his decision, though foremost among them, he blamed the increasing workload on the modern international player. "There's just too much cricket happening at the moment. The international schedules are completely packed and there is hardly any time off. It's all good that we earn good money but there is just too much cricket." *Afridi added he wanted to spend more time with his two daughters and his family, something "I haven't been able to do for some time." *
Pakistan has just finished a full, cramped home season with two full series against England and India, followed almost immediately by the tour to Sri Lanka. In between, many of the national team's players were contracted to appear in the domestic Twenty20 tournament and though there is a break in the schedule till June, when they fly out to England, they are due to play two ODI matches later this month in Abu Dhabi against India. Afridi missed part of the ODI series against India with a side strain.
He had been thinking about the decision for a few months and is thought to have decided finally, only after consultations with some close friends earlier this evening. "I have been thinking about it seriously since the series against England. I was thinking of doing it then, but with India coming over so soon after, I decided to hold back until that series was over.
Typically, given the situation, there has been speculation that he had taken the decision after having been dropped from the last Test against Sri Lanka in Kandy, a Test Pakistan ultimately won. One senior journalist told Cricinfo that Afridi had been angry with the team management over his axing and decided, in the heat of the moment, to `retire.' Television commentators had also expressed considerable surprise over the decision and given how valuable a Test player he had been since his recall, the reaction wasn't a surprise. Afridi though was quick to deny this: "No, absolutely not. There was no pressure, no spat. It is just too much cricket and that is it. It is not a permanent thing anyway." Afridi earlier told a local television channel that he hadn't yet informed the PCB of his decision although he had discussed it with Inzamam-ul-Haq, who told him he would respect any decision taken.
The format he has chosen to take retirement from is particularly surprising given that in the last year, Afridi has become one of Pakistan's most valuable Test players. In fact, since his recall to the Test squad in January last year against Australia, in ten Tests, he has averaged 47.44 with four hundreds and three fifties. Some of his innings, such as the 58 against India in Bangalore last March, have changed the course of the Test and with 23 wickets, he finally appeared settled in the Test side. In contrast, in 43 ODIs since Bob Woolmer's arrival as coach - when Afridi was recalled to the ODI side - he averages just under 23 with the bat, with only three fifties. His solitary century of course was the 45-ball special against India. But with the ball he has been a revelation and his bag of leggies, offies, wrong `uns and quicker ones has resulted in 51 wickets.
Afridi was adamant, however, that he had no regrets over his decision to leave the Test side just when he seemed settled. "I have no regrets, I mean it's only a temporary decision, but I just want to concentrate on one form of cricket for the moment." Given the sudden timing of his announcement, however, and the fierce speculation now surrounding the circumstances of his axing from the last Test, it is unlikely that we have heard the last of this.
Osman Samiuddin is Pakistan editor of Cricinfo
© Cricinfo
It says the retirement is only temporary.
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
tests wont be same with out afridi :(
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
His performance in ODI's will surely be better.
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
In fact, since his recall to the Test squad in January last year against Australia, in ten Tests, he has averaged 47.44 with four hundreds and three fifties.
WOW,
Pakistan will miss him..
We all will miss his brand of cricket.......
Pakistani board should talk to him out of it..
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Dekho bhai log....whoever thinks that Afridi's decision is an honest one has to be born yesterday.
I mean there are so many players in various teams who are playing both ODIs and Test Matches and whose cricket schedule is just as packed as Afridi's(may be more since Afridi is often dropped) but you don't see them announcing temporary retirement from Test Cricket (and Afridi is in fact one of the younger and fitter players among this lot)
One can still understand a gora player making such a decision but a Desi player is usually supposed to overstay his welcome in the team and not pass up any paisaa-batoring opportunities to spend more time with the faymily.
So my take is....Afridi is just doing a showman stunt and playing to the gallery (just like he does with his batting). He obviously has some axe to grind (my guess is with Inzi)
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
I think it is a knee-jerk reaction but there can be so many factors contributing to this decision. First of all, maybe the reasons he presented are correct and a major factor. Regarding differences with Inzi; All I would say that Bob and Inzi re-invented Afridi and his role in the team (Though I m not sure what input Inzi had). If he took this decision out of anger then lets hope he doesnt change his mind but if its a genuine one then lets respect it. He will be back to play tests soon, its just an year away :-)
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
^ Agreed. It sounds like a fair decision to me.
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
he was one of the good options as one of the best fielders as well as bowlers in Test, considering his unreliable storke play in batting.
I hope he learns one or two good things about batting on a turning wicket by WC 2007.
Good Luck for him. I will be watching all his recorded innings in my computer in the mean time. 
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
is there any evidence of a rift between afridi and inzimam?
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
^ Not really
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
***“He will also not be available for selection against West Indies and the tour of South Africa before the game’s mega event in the Caribbean.”
http://www.dawn.com/2006/04/13/spt1.htm
***This is an interesting fact, if Afridi himself has said this, I am not sure what to say I lashed out earlier in my post without realizing the fact he also has a family, maybe there was a rift or whatever, he has to think in a different way; as a father and as a National sports hero.
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Different prespective from Cricinfo..
http://content-ind.cricinfo.com/columns/content/story/244193.html
Its actually supporting Afridi’s decision…
Re: Breaking News: Shahid Afridi retires from Test cricket till WC 2007
Hey, have you considered that his exclusion from the last test may not be 'THE' reason for this "temporary retirement," but just "one of them."
How about this scenario. Afridi might have realized that he is not an automatic selection for every test and his inclusion depends on the pitch and playing conditions. However, whether or not he's in the playing eleven, he has to stay with the squad for the entire duration of the test series. This means more time away from family without the benefit of 'actually playing the match'. He also has to spend some time playing county cricket which is a good source of income for him, and the tight schedule means even less personal time.
Given all that, maybe he decided to pull out of test cricket for now, under the awareness that he might not have been selected for all tests anyway. What's wrong with someone's decision to use that 'uncertain time on bench' with family instead?
He seems to have taken a break from the format that was going to be of least benefit to him (in his view). Stop badmouthing him and Inzi.