da stake casino： Pakistan captain Waqar Younis defended his captaincy on Tuesday, claimingthat his tenure had coincided with an overall improvement in the team’sperformance
Charlie Austin10-Sep-2002Pakistan captain Waqar Younis defended his captaincy on Tuesday, claimingthat his tenure had coincided with an overall improvement in the team’sperformance.Following Pakistan’s poor performance in Morocco and Nairobi there has beenspeculation that Waqar could lose the captaincy unless there is a quickupturn in the team’s fortunes.”I think I have been doing well as captain,” he said. “Performances havebeen improving and we have been winning during the last year. It is only inthe last two tournaments that we have gone through a bad patch.”We haven’t been too unpredictable but we have struggled with the batting,not getting enough runs on the board and giving the bowlers a chance tofight.”But Waqar hopes that his talented team can put their recent poor form behindthem and win the ICC Champions Trophy, a dress rehearsal for the ICC WorldCup next year.”We are starting afresh,” he said. “This is a very important for us, withall the best sides in the world here, so we will give the best we have gotand hopefully perform like champions.”We started to play better during the last match of the tournament in Kenyaand we now have to try to maintain that form here, starting with a couple ofgood training sessions.”Pakistan take on Sri Lanka in the tournament curtain raiser and Waqarbelieves Sanath Jayasuriya’s side will be under the greatest pressure toperform.”They have also been playing some very good cricket at the moment,” he said,”but I think, as hosts, they will be under the most pressure in the openinggame of the tournament.”He hoped that Wasim Akram – who announced his intended retirement after theICC World Cup next year at the same media conference – would regain hisbowling rhythm in time for the first game.”He (Wasim) is having a little problem at the moment with his action, but hehas a chance to sort it out at practice during the next couple of days,” hesaid.Coach Mudassar Nazar admitted concern over the opening combination: “We havehad problems with the openers for nine months or so. I thought it was sortedout with Imran Nazir and Saaed Anwaar, but they then hit poor form at thesame time.”But a fully fit Shoaib Akhtar, impressing journalists with his long blacklocks, will be a major boost, providing extra firepower against theconfident Sri Lankans.Akhtar was characteristically bullish: “I’m going to be fast and furious,but my main aim here is to take wickets for my country. I have passed the100 mph mark, whether they accept it or not, and I know I can bowl faster.”Waqar, meanwhile, welcomed the overnight news that India would be sending afull-strength side: “I’m glad their coming as without them there would havebeen a hole in the tournament.”