KARACHI: He will stay on as Pakistan’s Twenty20 captain but Shahid Afridi admitted he leaves the One-day International (ODI) scene unfulfilled.

Having announced his retirement from ODI cricket prior to the World Cup, Afridi’s career came to a close when Pakistan crashed out of the tournament in the quarter-finals after the six-wicket loss to Australia in Adelaide on Friday.

“I will always regret the fact that the end of my ODI career wasn’t glorious,” Afridi told reporters after arriving at the Karachi Airport on Sunday. “I will also like to apologise to the fans of Pakistan cricket that I and the team were unable to fulfil their expectations.”

The 35-year-old, who shot to fame with a 37-ball hundred in only his second ODI against Sri Lanka in Nairobi in 1996, was appearing at his fifth World Cup and most notably captained Pakistan at the 2011 edition when he led them to the semi-finals.

Nicknamed ‘Boom Boom’ for his flamboyant batting style, Afridi missed the chance to become the only all-rounder with over 8,000 one-day runs and 400 wickets. In 398 ODIs, he managed 8,064 runs and 395 wickets.

He rued his team’s sub-standard fielding at crucial junctures of the game against Australia with dropped catches hitting the team’s chances during the co-hosts’ chase of Pakistan’s 213 in the quarter-final.

“Fielding helps you win 80-85 per cent of your games but we failed to claim some chances at crucial times during the quarter-final,” he said.

Afridi added that he was pleased with the country’s fast bowlers, saying they offer the team a bright future. “Our pacers were outstanding during the tournament and that’s a healthy sign for Pakistan cricket,” he said.

He said he will give his opinion to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the next ODI captain with Misbah-ul-Haq also retiring from one-day cricket after the World Cup.

“Misbah performed really well under pressure and I enjoyed playing under him in the last four years,” he said. “Although the decision to appoint the new ODI captain will be taken by the PCB, I will give my view on who should take over the reins of the team.

“I think new players should come to the fore, players who have done well at the domestic level and will carry Pakistan cricket forward.”

Published in Dawn March 23rd , 2015

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