Shahid Afridi may have entertained his fans all over the world with his high-risk batting and amazing bowling abilities. But despite a very good start to his Test career, Afridi’s potential in the longer format couldn’t be realized in the full.

Afridi, known for his big-hitting prowess, flourished as an opener in the late 1990-early 2000s, after making his debut in 1996. But he turned to a leg-spinning all-rounder as time went on and his batting took a back seat. Afridi played 398 ODIs and 99 T20Is and is easily regarded as the legend of the limited-overs format.

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However, his former teammate Shoaib Akhtar feels that Afridi was a better player for Test matches than limited-overs affairs. Speaking to a local news channel, Akhtar claimed, 'I always told Shahid Afridi that you are much better Test player as compared to ODIs. I have always believed that he was a much better bowler than a batsman."  

Afridi went onto play only 27 Tests for Pakistan during his illustrious career, which spanned over two decades. He retired from the longest format in 2006 in a bid to concentrate on limited-overs before making a return in 2010 for a solitary game, versus Australia at Lord's.

Akhtar got some backup from former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif. Latif said, "Shahid Afridi should not have left Test cricket because he had a decent record. We also advised him against quitting Test cricket but he had made up his mind about focusing on white-ball cricket."

(timesnownews.com inputs)