Islamabad, Mar 17: Suspended Pakistani cricketer Shahid Afridi has vowed to make a comeback into the team on the sheer strength of his performance and "let the runs and wickets do the talking" for him in the coming days. The hard-hitting batsman, who came a cropper in the World Cup and made news only for the wrong reasons, has been suspended for the forthcoming Sharjah tournament after he was found guilty of sledging at Indian players -- Sachin Tendulkar and Virender Sehwag -- and the umpires during the World Cup match at Centurion.
"Yes, I am sorry for what happened. The (suspension) coming after the disappointing world cup has really been a big blow," said Afridi who has been the target of heavy criticism for his behaviour and inability to justify his place in the squad ever since the team's early ouster from the World Cup.
"But I have not given up hope of fighting back into the Pakistan team," Afridi was quoted as saying by the local daily The News.
"Starting from now I will try to change my approach to the game and try to score more runs and take more wickets when I play for Habib Bank and Derbyshire in the coming weeks," the flamboyant cricketer said.
Bureau Report