Islamabad, May 1: Shahid Afridi has blamed Pakistan's one-day cricket captain Misbah-ul-Haq for his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad, and has vowed to return to the national team.
"It's the captain's decision to drop me," Afridi told the Urdu Daily Jang on Wednesday. "It's no big deal for me if a captain doesn't want a certain player in the team."
In announcing the squad earlier this week, selectors said Afridi, who has scored 7,201 and taken 348 wickets in ODIs, was left out due to recent poor form in one-day internationals.
He has scored only 161 runs at an average of 17.88 and taken just four wickets at an astonishing cost of 113.75 runs each in the last 12 ODIs. But Afridi refused to go into his recent statistics.
"I am much better than lot of other (Pakistan) players and I know I could play for Pakistan for few more years."
Afridi now plans to prepare for a Twenty20 tournament in England in July where he will represent English county Hampshire.
"I have received lots of text messages from my fans and I am thankful to all of them," he said.
The flamboyant allrounder refused to accept that his exclusion from the Champions Trophy squad spelt the end of his career.
"I know I have to work very hard to return to Pakistan team," he said.
"I want to make it clear I don't want to be burden on the team. I want to represent Pakistan on performance and fitness.
"The day I believed I am burden on the team I will quit myself," he added.
