KARACHI: Next year’s ICC World Cup to be co-hosted by Australia and New
Zealand will be Shahid Afridi’s fifth and final appearance in the
quadrennial spectacle.
The flamboyant all-rounder also wants to make it his most memorable. “With less than two months to go before the start of the World Cup I am fully focusing on preparing myself for the event,” he told ‘The News’ in an interview. “It is the most important tournament both for Pakistan and me. It is my greatest desire that our team wins the title in Australia,” he added.
Afridi’s main emphasis is on overcoming a couple of fitness worries before he gets started on more serious work. “I have a little elbow problem and there is some issue with a part of the webbing on my right hand. Both are minor issues but I want to get over them so that serious training can begin for the World Cup,” he said.
Afridi has decided to set up a camp in Lahore and will be leaving for the country’s cricket capital on Thursday (today).
“The idea is to be fully fit and be in peak form both with the bat and ball so that I can contribute well to the team’s cause in the World Cup,” he said.
Afridi, 34, and former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene are the two most experienced players going into next year’s World Cup, their fifth appearance in the mega event.
Both first played in World Cup in the 1999 edition in England and have appeared in all editions ever since.
Jayawardene featured in the final of the World Cup 2007 and 2011, as well as the semi-final of the World Cup 2003, Afridi was a member of the Pakistan side that played the final at Lord’s in 1999. He captained Pakistan at World Cup 2011 where Pakistan reached the semi-final.
If the two players are named in the final line-ups, likely to be announced on January 8, they will join the company of Wasim Akram, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Aravinda de Silva, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralidaran, Thomas Odoyo, Ricky Ponting, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Tikolo, who played five ICC Cricket World Cups.
Pakistan’s Javed Miandad and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, with six World Cups each, share the record for the most appearances at ICC’s pinnacle event.
The flamboyant all-rounder also wants to make it his most memorable. “With less than two months to go before the start of the World Cup I am fully focusing on preparing myself for the event,” he told ‘The News’ in an interview. “It is the most important tournament both for Pakistan and me. It is my greatest desire that our team wins the title in Australia,” he added.
Afridi’s main emphasis is on overcoming a couple of fitness worries before he gets started on more serious work. “I have a little elbow problem and there is some issue with a part of the webbing on my right hand. Both are minor issues but I want to get over them so that serious training can begin for the World Cup,” he said.
Afridi has decided to set up a camp in Lahore and will be leaving for the country’s cricket capital on Thursday (today).
“The idea is to be fully fit and be in peak form both with the bat and ball so that I can contribute well to the team’s cause in the World Cup,” he said.
Afridi, 34, and former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene are the two most experienced players going into next year’s World Cup, their fifth appearance in the mega event.
Both first played in World Cup in the 1999 edition in England and have appeared in all editions ever since.
Jayawardene featured in the final of the World Cup 2007 and 2011, as well as the semi-final of the World Cup 2003, Afridi was a member of the Pakistan side that played the final at Lord’s in 1999. He captained Pakistan at World Cup 2011 where Pakistan reached the semi-final.
If the two players are named in the final line-ups, likely to be announced on January 8, they will join the company of Wasim Akram, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Aravinda de Silva, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Sanath Jayasuriya, Jacques Kallis, Imran Khan, Brian Lara, Muttiah Muralidaran, Thomas Odoyo, Ricky Ponting, Arjuna Ranatunga and Steve Tikolo, who played five ICC Cricket World Cups.
Pakistan’s Javed Miandad and India’s Sachin Tendulkar, with six World Cups each, share the record for the most appearances at ICC’s pinnacle event.
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