Afridi handed Twenty20 reins

The talismanic Shahid Afridi embodied Pakistan's charge to the ICC World Twenty20 crown in England last month

The Pakistan Cricket Board has appointed Shahid Afridi as captain for the one-off Twenty20 international against Sri Lanka next month.

The all-rounder replaces Younus Khan, who retired from the shortest version of the game after leading Pakistan to the ICC World Twenty20 title in England earlier this summer.

A PCB statement read: “The PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, has appointed Shahid Afridi as captain for the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka.”

Afridi, 29, was Pakistan’s top performer in the World Twenty20 and was named man of the match in the semi-final and final.

He had opted out of the Test series against Sri Lanka in order to rest, but will return for the five-match one-day series which begins in Dambulla tomorrow.

Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka culminates with the Twenty20 game at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on August 12.