Shahid Afridi hopes to make a comeback to the Pakistan team

The Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi retired from one-day internationals last year and had also retired from Tests six years ago. However, Afridi is looking forward to making his comeback into the Pakistan team, after a disastrous ICC World T20 2016.

Shahid Afridi was not included in the ongoing boot camp ahead of Pakistan’s tour of England which will begin in July, with a lot of talks to call time on his international cricketing career. He issued a video apology after Pakistan’s exit at the group stages of the World T20, and his leadership style was slammed in separate leaked reports by then coach Waqar Younis and team manager Intikhab Alam, both since sacked.

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“It was disappointing that people lied and tried to drag my name in the mud,” he told AFP,

“We played badly and lost but it was not correct to blame one man only. It was a collective failure.”

Afridi said that he was looking forward to returning to Hampshire for the first time since 2011. “It will help me force my way back in the Pakistan Twenty20 team and I will always be ready to play for my country,” he said.

Shahid Afridi was a key player in their World T20 win in 2009 but his recent form is too bad to make a comeback. He had scored just 107 runs across his last 10 matches at an average of 13.4 and just 7 wickets out of those 10 matches at an average of 36.0.

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Afridi, who has been playing for Hampshire since 2011, feels that his experience would come in handy for Pakistan in England. “I have played for Hampshire before and enjoyed the stint and I am going to have another blast this time around as well,” he said.

Pakistan will play four Tests, five one-day internationals and a Twenty20 match on their tour to England.