Afridi handed T20 reins

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

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

"The PCB chairman, Ijaz Butt, has appointed Shahid Afridi as captain for the Twenty20 match against Sri Lanka," the PCB said in a statement.

The 29-year-old Afridi 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 in Colombo on August 12.