Lahore, Mar 24: Shoaib Akhtar is hopeful the Indian Premier League (IPL)’s impending move to South Africa or England could pave the way for Pakistani players to return to the lucrative Twenty20 tournament.

In an interview to a cricket website, Shoaib said he and his Pakistani counterparts were holding out hope of an eleventh-hour call-up to the IPL, now that the tournament seems destined to be shifted out of India.

“For me, it is not over till it’s over. I haven’t given up. It’s up to the franchises. If they call upon my services, I will provide them,” Akhtar said.

“We do not have great circumstances with India at the moment. The situation between us is not critical anymore, and hopefully it will get better in the coming months,” The News quoted him, as saying.

“It is a shame for the Indian fans that the tournament will not be played in India. For now I am preparing to play against Australia in the ODIs next month and take wickets for my country,” Akhtar added. (ANI)