Shahid Afridi expects Shoaib Akhtar to ‘return with a bang’ in Asia Cup

Injury prone speedster Shoaib Akhtar’s inclusion into the 15-man squad for the upcoming Asia Cup may have raised a few eyebrows, however, Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi believes that the controversial fast bowler would return with a bang.

Afridi said Akhtar has been training hard to get in shape after being out of competitive cricket for over a year, and is raring to perform on the international stage.

“Shoaib is looking sharp and working really hard for the Asia Cup. He is really motivated and I’m expecting him to return with a bang,” The News quoted Afridi, as saying.

He also rubbished reports regarding Akhtar, 34, not being fully fit.

“I don’t know who is spreading such false rumours. There is nothing wrong with Shoaib. He is fully fit and it’s showing in his output during training sessions. He is going that extra mile which is a great sign for us,” he said.

The flamboyant all rounder also highlighted that the Asia Cup would probably be Akhtar’s last chance to prove that he still has got the sting to feature in the 2011 World Cup, which would be held in the sub-continent.

“For Shoaib, Asia Cup is a very important tournament and he knows it. He will be back in business if he bowls well in Sri Lanka. In fact he has this great chance to prove that Pakistan can benefit from him for future assignments, especially next year’s World Cup,’ Afridi said.