Shoaib Akhtar hopeful of making international return

Karachi, Feb 18: Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar may not have played any international cricket for Pakistan the past ten months but he has not given up hopes of representing the country again in spite of his fitness problems.

In fact, Akhtar is hoping not only to make his international return but also to realise his biggest dream - to captain Pakistan.

"Captaining your country is the dream of every cricketer and I am no different. As a young boy when I first started playing cricket, it was my dream to captain my country. I hope that one day I will be given that chance before I retire," Akhtar told pakpassion.net in an interview Thursday.

In his last appearance for Pakistan almost ten months back, Akhtar managed 12 deliveries for 18 runs and took no wicket in a Twenty20 match against the Australians in Dubai.

Akhtar, 34, has not featured in a Test for Pakistan and most experts believe that he is unlikely to play international cricket again. But the Rawalpindi-born pacer believes otherwise.

"I've been working really hard on getting match fit in the pre-tournament camp we held. I am playing currently in the Royal Bank of Scotland Cup. The most important thing is to get some cricket under my belt," he said.

Akhtar is currently leading Khan Research Laboratories in the ongoing Royal Bank of Scotland Cup.