Afghanistan veteran all-rounder Mohammad Nabi has no intention of retiring from the international stage any time soon and hopes to continue playing for his country until the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Nabi, who currently leads Dambulla Sixers in the Lanka Premier League (LPL), is keen to extend his international career in T20Is. The 39-year-old plans to take a decision on his ODI future after the Champions Trophy and added that he would like to bid adieu to international cricket after the next T20 World Cup.
“How long do I want to continue playing cricket? Well, my body is in good shape, I am running fast. I am fielding well on the boundary, taking catches well and bowling well. I am doing well and trying to maintain it as long as possible,” Cricbuzz quoted Nabi as saying on Friday.
“The Afghanistan team needs me now, but the Champions Trophy could be my last in the 50-over (format) and it will be over in a year or so,” he said, adding that he would like to end his career at the next ICC T20 World Cup.
“I hope so (on playing in the next T20 World Cup). If I am selected, I will play,” he said.
Nabi, who has been regarded as a stalwart of the Afghanistan cricket team since his debut in 2009, has admitted to growing older and has stressed his determination to stay fit by sticking to a clean diet.
“I’m not young, I’m 40, but I’m training hard and trying my best to recover as fast as possible. And it all depends on your diet and how you eat. If you eat clean and good food, it makes you healthier,” the veteran said.
The 39-year-old added that Afghanistan’s experience of playing franchise cricket helped them reach a historic semi-final in the recent T20 World Cup.
“It gives us a lot of experience and we also take that experience to the national team and we share it with the younger players. Afghanistan’s T20 performance (at the World Cup) was really good. We beat the big teams in the tournament.
“Yes, it was my first time to reach the semi-finals and the tough final four and that was a huge achievement in my cricketing career and I hope to achieve more in the future. As a team, we played in the World Cup and achieved results and everyone contributed a lot to this World Cup,” he concluded.
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