Afridi pulls out of W.Indies tour – PCB source

Shahid Afridi

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Pakistan World Cup captain  Shahid Afridi has withdrawn from next month’s tour to West  Indies, a source at the national cricket board told Reuters on  Thursday.

Shahid Afridi

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source, who declined to be  identified, said the 31-year-old all-rounder had made himself  unavailable for the tour which starts on April 18.

“He will not be going to West Indies as apparently he wants  to take a break from the game,” said the source before adding  the player had spoken to the chairman of the PCB and explained  he was not in the right frame of mind to go to the Caribbean.

Afridi quit test cricket in 2010 but had been expected to  play in the one-dayers and Twenty20s in West Indies.

Pakistan were knocked out of the World Cup when they lost by  29 runs to bitter rivals India in the semi-finals on Wednesday.

The flamboyant Afridi has appeared in 320 one-dayers, 27  tests and 42 Twenty20s for his country.

He has been captaining Pakistan in limited-over matches  since last year.

Pakistan will play one Twenty20, five one-dayers and two  tests in West Indies.