Pakistan's Shahid Afridi ditches Tests

Shahid Afridi is the latest player to join the likes of Andrew Flintoff in making themselves unavailable to play Test cricket.

While the Pakistani all-rounder's declaration that he wants to focus on the one-day and Twenty20 World Cups should have little effect on the Pakistan team - he has not played a Test match for more than three years - it does reflect a trend in world cricket.

''There is a lot of international cricket being played these days and I think it is better if I focus on these two forms of the game in the period leading up to the World Cup,'' Afridi told Pakistan's Jung newspaper.

England's Flintoff is the most high-profile player in that category. He was joined this month by New Zealander Jacob Oram, who declared he was retiring from Tests ''for the sake of longevity''.

While Afridi will not be part of the Pakistan squad that will visit Australia for three Tests this summer he will definitely still be in Australia for the one-off Twenty20 match between the teams - and likely the five one-dayers too - following his appointment as Pakistan's Twenty20 captain a week ago.

Afridi has taken the place of Younus Khan, who has retired from Twenty20 matches. While Afridi was reported to be upset when the Pakistan Cricket Board refused to accept Khan's captaincy resignation for the Test and one-day teams as well, Afridi insisted relations between them were good.

''Both of us go a long way and we respect each other. I have always supported him as a player and captain and I will continue to do that,'' he said.