Dubai: Sharjah Cricket fans won’t miss me yet, at least for the time being, retired Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi said.
“I am fit and I will be here for the Pakistan Super League and the upcoming T10 cricket at the Sharjah Stadium again. I am enjoying playing in the Pakistan Super League and Bangladesh Premier League. I am fit enough for league cricket. I will be here as Karachi Kings player in the PSL (unlike earlier for Peshawar Zalmi),” ‘Boom Boom’ Afridi told Gulf News on the sidelines of the launch of T10 league scheduled later this year.
Pakistan will be playing an international limited overs match for the first time at the historic venue against Sri Lanka without the flamboyant all-rounder. Afridi has been an integral part of the team for over two decades and Sharjah fans have been fortunate to see big hits flying from Afridi’s bat.
Afridi considers his fans as his biggest inspiration to perform at his best. “Today my main focus is on them. Through my foundation, I am doing a lot of things to the people back home who are deserving. My foundation aims to provide
health care, water education and sports facilities. I am also running a charity hospital and doing a water project.
“I am going back to Pakistan now to start another hospital in a remote area. I am feel nice working on clean drinking water projects,” said Afridi, who feels it is his duty to give something back to the fans who have loved him a lot.
Afridi is delighted at Pakistan winning the Champions Trophy in England last June, but feels the team should not be resting on that triumph. “There are still some concerns which need to be sorted out. We have to play cricket in a more positive way in all forms of the game. We lost the last Test in Abu Dhabi because we did not play positive cricket. Ours is a new team with new players and I am expecting more from them and they must play like the way we are known for.”
Afridi then went on to point out that there is a shortage of good all-rounders in the team. “It is a fact that Pakistan are missing good all-rounders. After (Abdul) Razzaq and myself left, we don’t have genuine all-rounders. I feel all-rounders play a key role in every team.”
Afridi is also high on hope that international cricket will soon return to Pakistan. “By staging the World XI match, we have put out a strong message (that Pakistan is safe for cricket) and I like to thank all World XI players. It would have been great if Indian players too had played for World XI,” he added.
