KARACHI: Shahid Afridi is expecting his senior teammates to shine in the ICC World Twenty20 championship in the West Indies, saying that Pakistan’s hopes of defending the crown rest on their shoulders.

The Pakistan captain told our correspondent in an interview on Thursday that experienced players like allrounder Abdul Razzaq, middle-order batsman Misbah-ul-Haq and glovesman Kamran Akmal will have to deliver if Pakistan are to retain the ICC World Twenty20 title they won in England last July.

Afridi said that since the senior players have ample big game experience, they should lead by example in the Caribbean where the 12-nation World Twenty20 will be played from April 30-May 16.

“The Twenty20 World Cup is a huge event and we will need everybody to give their best in it,” said Afridi, who was the star performer of the last year’s edition.

“Personally, I believe that the main responsibility will be on the senior players. They are ones who have enough experience of playing in top-level events like the World Cup.

“I must say that our senior players like Razzaq, Misbah, Mohammad Asif, Umar Gul, Kamran Akmal will have to come out with their best in the West Indies. They are the ones who can inspire the young boys in our team to shine in the tournament.”

The five of them together with Afridi are the most experienced players in the touring party that includes rookies like Umer Akmal and Mohammad Aamer.

Razzaq returned to international cricket by featuring in the 2009 World Twenty20 in England after being banned for joining the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL). The 30-year-old from Lahore is still regarded among the most dangerous allrounders in limited-overs cricket. He has just played 11 Twenty20 Internationals but has scored 178 runs at 44.50 apart from picking up 11 wickets.

Misbah, 35, revived his career with a stellar show in the inaugural World Twenty20 in South Africa but flopped in the second edition in England. He is one of the top scorers in the slam-bang version of the game with 509 runs from 23 appearances.

Asif, regarded among the most lethal pacers in world cricket, missed the England event because of a doping-related suspension but is now expected to play a lead role for Pakistan in the West Indies.

Pakistan cricket has been dogged by controversies and a string of poor results in recent times but Afridi believes that his team has the potential to bounce back in the Caribbean.

“I’m not making any promises which is why I won’t say that we would go out their and lift the World Cup,” he said.

“But what I want to make crystal clear is that we have to play for the country and if we do that then anything is possible.

Afridi, 30, said that he and his players are well aware that Pakistan need to produce good results to help the sport come out of the current crisis.

“We all know that Pakistan need good news on the cricket field. If we win the World Cup again we will be able to make millions of our countrymen happy. That is why I’m urging my teammates to give their 100 percent effort in the training camp and later in the World Cup. I need them to fight like a unit because that’s the only way to win a major event like the World Cup.”

Afridi said that he is encouraged by the appointment of Waqar Younis as coach and Ijaz Ahmed as his assistant, saying that the two former Test cricketers have the potential to turn the team into a winning unit.

“Both Waqar and Ijaz are really good coaches,” he said. “They know how to get the best out of the players. They are making us go that extra mile in the camp and that’s a very positive change,” he said.

Pakistani players are currently attending a training camp in Lahore in preparation for the World Twenty20.