The Pakistan Cricket Board ended weeks of uncertainty, by appointing Shahid Afridi to lead the country's campaign to defend the World Twenty20 title in the Caribbean from the end of next month. Afridi will once again take up the role he was given last year, after Younis Khan stepped away from the format, though he has for now only been handed the role for the duration of the tournament."It's a challenge for me and I accept it," Afridi said. "We are going to the West Indies with only one aim and that is to defend our title."
The limit on the tenure appears to be a result of the disciplinary action Afridi has faced since he was found guilty of ball-tampering - biting the ball repeatedly - in an ODI in Perth where he was captain. Until then, Pakistan had settled on Afridi as the Twenty20 captain till the World Cup and potentially as an ODI leader as well. But after that incident Afridi's stock fell considerably.
He was banned by the ICC for two T20Is, which led to Shoaib Malik taking over, albeit reluctantly. Then, the board slapped him with a Rs 3 million ($35,000) fine for the same incident, as well as placing him under probation for six months. Any further breaches, the message is clear, and punishment could be harsher.
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