LAHORE: Dashing opener Ahmed Shehzad becomes the first cricketer to offer his financial assistance in shape of donating fee of one match to famine-hit people of Thar.

The young cricketer while talking to media on Tuesday at the National Cricket Academy also said that he believed the current national team could easily match up to the standard of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis’ eras.

Talking about the Thar disaster, the enthusiastic 22-year-old cricketer said: “I want to help those who are struggling.

I want to donate fee of one match to famine-stricken people of Thar district besides endorsements from my equipment and all my Man-of-the-Match awards if I succeed to get in the upcoming World T20.”

“This country has given us a lot and now it is our duty to pay back. We should realise that those who are in trouble deserve to be helped by those who are well-off,” said Shehzad.

Stating that people should come forward to helping famine-hit people, he said: “We have to work together to deal with such situations.”

To a question, Shehzad said a fund-raising cricket match should also be organised for the noble cause, adding that in the past cricket played a great role in such kind of situations.

Regarding the upcoming World T20, he said the national team were in a perfect shape to do wonders in the tournament.

Praising the national side for the recent performances, the veteran of 45 ODIs and 22 T20 Internationals claimed: “The current team could once again become a formidable side like that used to be in times of Waqar and Wasim.”

To a question about Pakistan win against India in the Asia Cup and their next face-off with archrivals India in the World T20 on March 21, Shehzad said that the team management and boys were not focusing just on one match as they seek to achieve top position in the world ranking.

“To become World No.1, we have to beat every team including India. So, we are considering every match very important.”

He admitted that the pool Pakistan were drawn into was a tough one as Australia, West Indies besides India were also included in the group. Nonetheless, he said margin of favour was less for every team and Pakistan had to play solid cricket to win all matches.

“Every player understands his role. Our team are competitive in both ODI and T20 formats but the need of the hour is that we soon master the art of executing the game plan well on a given day,” Shehzad stated.

Regarding security fears amid Dhaka unrest, he said security was tight but he along with his team-mates focussed on cricket and enjoyed it.