KARACHI: Pakistanas star all-rounder Shahid Afridi flew out for Australia on Thursday to feature in the KFC Big Bash a Australias domestic Twenty20 spectacle a saying that the event will help him warm up for the one-day series against the world champions.
Afridi told ''The News'' in an interview before leaving for Perth where he will begin his stint for South Australia on December 28 that he would be fully ready for five-match one-day series against the Aussies starting in Brisbane from January 22.
The matches I will be playing in the Twenty20 tournament will help me get ready for the one-day series, he said. It is going to be a tough series because Australia are still one of the worlds best teams but Im also confident about our chances because we have a lot of talented players, he stressed.
Afridi, 29, opted out of the three-match Test series against Australia which will kick off with the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne as he wants to completely focus on limited-overs cricket.
The Karachi-based player, who has featured in 26 Tests and 288 One-day Internationals, is expected to play a key role for Pakistan in the ODI series. He will later lead the tourists in a one-off Twenty20 Internationals against the Aussies at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on February 5.
Afridi has not played any competitive cricket since featuring in the one-day series against New Zealand in Abu Dhabi last month.
However, he has been keeping himself fit by carrying out physical training sessions and now hopes to regain his rhythm both with the ball and the bat during the Twenty20 extravaganza in Australia.
Afridi is one of the biggest stars in the T20 tournament which this year will also be featuring West Indies captain Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo, Sohail Tanvir, New Zealand skipper Daniel Vettori and Dimitri Mascarenhas of England.
The top two sides of the tournament will qualify for the next years Champions League T20.
Speaking on Pakistans Test series against Australia, Afridi said that experts were right in saying that the tourists will be banking on their strong bowling attack against the hosts. However, he was quick to add that Pakistani batsmen will have to show responsibility if the visitors are to win the series.
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