Pakistan will bounce back in one-dayers - Afridi

Pakistan allrounder Shahid Afridi has said Pakistan have a far better chance of succeeding in the limited-overs matches in Australia because their players are better suited to the shorter format of the game. Pakistan have underperformed in the three-Test series so far, losing the first game, throwing away the second after maintaining a firm grip, and are struggling to snatch a consolation in the ongoing Hobart game, let alone saving it.

"The problem is that in this [Test] team, most of them are one-day players," Afridi told the News. "There is no doubt in my mind that we are a very good one-day team.

"I'm confident that we will do much better in the ODIs and the Twenty20 game. I won't say that we are going to win the one-day series but our team definitely has the potential to do that. We will definitely be playing good cricket in the series."

Afridi is currently in Australia as an overseas player for South Australia for the Twenty20 Big Bash tournament. He is not in the frame for the Test side but is an integral part of the limited-overs side. He captains the Twenty20 side and deputises under Mohammad Yousuf for the ODIs.

He agreed with Yousuf that senior players will have to be persisted with and not dropped at the expense of younger players. "We are the ones who have to lead by example. It's always important for the senior players to perform their roles but against top teams like Australia, it's just vital," Afridi said. "You can't beat them without the senior players doing their job."

Afridi will join the team on January 19, ahead of the first ODI at the Gabba three days later. He will take part in South Australia's preliminary final against New South Wales on Sunday but will miss the tournament final on January 23.