ISLAMABAD: Pakistan opener Ahmad Shahzad is optimistic about prolonging his cricketing career despite facing a difficult time over the past couple of years. In an interview, Shahzad said that he has learned a lot from his past experiences and is hopeful about representing Pakistan for another 12 years. “The past two years have been tough for but I have learned a lot in that span of time and hopefully this will prove beneficial in the my upcoming years in cricket,” said Shehzad. “Bearing in mind my fitness and skills, I think I can represent Pakistan for another 12 years and that is not an exaggeration.” The 28-year-old also believes that he was unfairly criticised for his off the field activities. “As far as criticism regarding my off-field activities is concerned, I think I was really young at that time but I also feel that the things I was criticised for were trivial matters,” he said. Speaking about his Pakistan career so far, the right-hander admitted that his performances in Test cricket left a lot to be desired. “Back in the day I was a bit naïve which affected my cricket, especially in ODIs, but I have tried to put all of them behind and focus on prolonging my cricketing career,” he said. “I’m relatively satisfied with my career progression in Test and T20I cricket.” The Lahore-born also opened up about one of the most disappointing moments of his life, when he was handed a four-month ban by PCB for violating anti-doping rules. “My positive dope test was one of the most disappointing moments of my life,” he said. “But I would like to give credit to PCB for offering guidance and helping me during that tough phase.”