For 2021 T20 World Cup, Sharjeel eyes Pakistan team return

Veteran opening batsman Sharjeel Khan has expressed his desire to represent the national team in the 2021 International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup.

The left-handed batsman has made 41 international appearances for Pakistan and scored 1,216 runs with a century and eight half-centuries to his name.

Sharjeel has recently made a comeback to competitive cricket after serving a five-year ban for his involvement in the 2017 Pakistan Super League (PSL) spot-fixing scandal with two-and-a-half-year of the punishment being suspended.

Related: Sharjeel Khan begins return journey after spot-fixing ban

The left-hander, while speaking to the media as quoted by PakPassion, said that he is looking forward to make his place in the Pakistan team by giving solid performances in the upcoming National T20 Cup.

'Focus on National T20 Cup'

“I played the last T20 World Cup that was played in 2016 in India," he said. "Right now my focus is on the National T20 Cup that is starting soon. I want to perform well there, get my team the title, and then make a comeback into the national side and play the World Cup next year.”.

He added: “I have worked the most on my fitness and improved it too. I had been working on my fitness even during my time away from the game but after making my comeback in PSL I worked even harder. Now I will try and maintain that level and also strive to hit the standards set by the Pakistan Cricket Board.”

The 31-year-old has played 53 first-class fixtures where he has 3,358 runs under his belt at an average of 35.72.

Sharjeel will be a part of the Sindh First XI team in the upcoming 20-over competition.