Bat and ball / Frank Gregan / 19 July 2010 /

Frank Gregan gives us his take on the shock resignation of Shahid Afridi as Test captain of Pakistan and his succcessor ahead of the second Test against Australia.

It was always highly unlikely that Wayne Rooney would hold his hands up after England's failure in South Africa and say "it was down to me folks - I was pants! I'm just not suited to international football at the highest level." The same applies to Andy Murray who will probably never face the press after another Wimbledon quarter/semi final defeat and say "Let's face it folks - I'll never win Wimbledon - I'm a Brit!"

Sportsmen don't speak the truth in public, they're urged not to by media coaches employed to ensure that public gaffes are avoided and everybody stays happy clappy. The media coach's job is to put out fires and appease his team's supporters by making sure that they get to hear what they want to hear. Players toe the party line and somehow manage to spin even the most horrific of defeats. Yet after their 150 run defeat at Lords last week at the hands of the Australians, Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi bucked the trend and told it how it was. But at the same time he committed Test career suicide.

Every sporting PR guru worldwide must have had shivers running up their spines but for the rest of us it was gratifying to hear a top sportsman take responsibility for his actions and fall on his sword. He was brutally honest and his self disparaging comments would have been considered slanderous had they been spoken by someone else.

Afridi had only just returned to the Test match arena after a four year absence and was reluctant to give it a go but given the turmoil the team was in, he felt he had little choice. He was brave enough to answer his country's call but it hasn't worked out and he is adamant that he's not the man that Pakistan need as their leader. In fact, he's convinced that he has no future in Test cricket.

He pulled no punches when talking about his poor performance and made it clear that this wasn't a cry for help. He doesn't want his Board to put an arm around his shoulder and talk him round, he wants out because he believes he doesn't possess the required mental concentration needed to build an innings during the longer format.

"My temperament is not good enough to play Test cricket" he said after announcing his decision to step down. "Captains should be an example for youngsters and for the team but I didn't show any example."

Afridi appeared to be particularly annoyed with himself for holing out with a slog sweep to Mike Hussey on the deep mid wicket boundary when facing only his fourth ball during the second innings of the first test against the Aussies. The Pakistanis were in deep trouble at 227 for five and needed a captain's knock, a gritty, dour innings to galvanise the troops and stop the onslaught of the Aussie attack. Instead they got a cross batted heave out into the deep and a disgruntled skipper making the lonely trudge back to the pavilion whilst the Australians whistled "Another one bites the dust!'

When asked if he could no longer resist trying to hit every ball for six he didn't shirk the question or sugar coat his answer. "Yes! Over the last four years I have played a lot of one-dayers and Twenty20s. In Test cricket the demands are totally different. You can say I am not strong enough mentally. If I play cricket like this it is better that I leave."

Things just seem to go from bad to worse for the Pakistanis. Their next skipper is likely to be Salman Butt who has already received Afridi's endorsement but their plight is unlikely to change just because they've got a new guy calling 'heads or tails.' They've got the sympathy of almost all the cricketing world but they've got to start helping themselves by putting in some spirited performances.

Afridi has one last shot at Test captaincy when the second Test against the Aussies gets underway at Headingley on Wednesday provided he recovers from a side strain picked up in the recent Asia Cup. After being on the end of a walloping last week the Pakistanis head into the game at [9.2] with Australia at [1.9] and the draw [2.7]. The Aussies were a more generous price last week although they are drifting as a result of weather doubts but a winner's a winner and [1.9] will do very nicely thank you. Let' just hope Afridi doesn't go out and score a double-century at a run a ball in his Test swansong. It would be just like him....

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