Veteran Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has no plans of hanging up his international boots anytime soon and hopes to continue playing for the country until the 2026 T20 World Cup, scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Nabi, who leads Dambulla Sixers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), wants to extend his international career in T20Is. The 39-year-old planned to talk about his ODI future after the Champions Trophy, adding that he wants to bid farewell to international cricket after the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“How long do I want to continue my cricket? Still, my body is working and I’m running fast. I’m bowling at the boundary, catching well and bowling well. Still, I’m doing well and trying to keep myself (fit) for the as long as possible,” Nabi said, according to Cricbuzz, on Friday.
“The Afghanistan team also needs me at this stage, but it could still be that the Champions Trophy will be my last Champions Trophy in 50 years (format) and after that maybe a year and that’s it,” he said, adding that he is looking forward to end his career with the upcoming edition of the ICC T20 World Cup.
“I hope so (about playing in the next T20 World Cup). If I get selected, I will have to play,” he said.
Nabi, who has been considered one of the strong pillars of the Afghanistan cricket team since his debut in 2009, acknowledged the fact that he is getting older and highlighted his commitment to staying fit by following a clean diet.
“I’m not young, I’m 40 years old, man. Still, I try my best to train hard and recover as quickly as possible and it all depends on your diet and how you eat. it makes you fitter,” said the veteran.
The 39-year-old added that the franchise’s cricket exposure to the Afghanistan players helped them a lot in the recent historic T20 World Cup semi-final.
“It gives us a lot of experience and it also brings that experience to the national team and we share it with the youngsters. Afghanistan’s performance in T20 (at the World Cup) was very good.
“Yes, the first time in the semi-final and the hard four and that was a huge achievement in my cricketing life and hopefully more is to come. As a team, we played and performed in the World Cup and everyone contributed a lot in this World Cup,” he concluded.
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