Farhat hopes to end career with World Cup participation

Karachi: Pakistan opening batsman Imran Farhat seems to be unruffled despite the spate of criticism that he has faced in his chequered, start-stop-start sort of playing career, saying that it would like to end his career on a high note by participating in a World Cup.

Admitting that it is difficult for a player like him to cement a berth in the playing XI, Farhat said that it would be the pinnacle of his career to be at a World Cup before his international career ends, as he has missed out on three consecutive World Cups from 2003 onwards since his debut. The left-hander, whose record in the post-2011 World Cup period is better than his overall ODI career statistics, further said that he hopes to play in the future World Cups if his luck and current form continues, although he added that he has to keep performing to earn his inclusion in any future squad beginning with the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy. The report mentioned that Farhat has had a `love-hate` relationship with the selectors during his relatively modest international career, which started in 2001, with the critics targeting him for mainly a single reason- inconsistency. However, Farhat seemed unworried by his countless ins-and-outs from the national team over the years, saying that he has been in situations where questions had been raised over his inclusion in the national team, adding that his critics are entitled to their own opinions. Insisting that his family had never factored during any of his selections, Farhat further said that he had always been picked to play in domestic games based on his performances and merit, instead of the selectors being influenced by former Test cricketer and his father-in-law Mohammad Ilyas. According to the cricketer, if the selectors had been influenced by his family, then he would definitely have got a place in the squad for the ICC World Twenty20 in 2010, adding that his father-in-law himself opposed his selection because of his lack of form at that time. Imran, who scored a career-best 308 for Lahore Shalimar in the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy in the just-ended season, said he is content with whatever he has achieved in life, adding that he regards Brian Lara, Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail as his role models. ANI