LONDON, April 15: Pakistani legend Wasim Akram has hinted that he could hang up his boots at the end of the upcoming English county season and served notice that he intends to bow out in style.

The veteran, who spent 10 years with Lancashire, has returned to county cricket after a five-year absence as one of Hampshire’s overseas players, filling the vacancy created by Shane Warne’s ban for using a banned diuretic.

Wasim told reporters that, if he does call it a day at the end of the season, he wants to bow out on a high note by helping Hampshire bounce straight back to the first division of the county championship.

“I did my homework before I came here about the team and Hampshire itself and so far everything is 100 percent,” Wasim said.

“I think this could be my last season. By September I’ll be finishing — hopefully on a high note.”

Hampshire begin their County Championship Division Two campaign at Worcestershire on Friday and Wasim, who has 414 Test wickets to his name, insisted: “I think we’re a good enough side to do well.”

But that milestone did not spare him from being axed from the side along with seven other senior players as punishment for the side’s failure to get beyond the first round.

Wasim is one of six Pakistan players on the county circuit this summer along with Abdul Razzaq (Middlesex), Azhar Mahmood (Surrey), Mushtaq Ahmed (Sussex), Saqlain Mushtaq (Surrey) and Shahid Afridi (Derbyshire).—AFP