New skipper has spark and imagination

Wicket keeper Moin Khan Sunday wished new captain Waqar Younis 'Good Luck' hours after the paceman was named to lead Pakistan on next month's tour to England. "I wish Vicki (Waqar Younis) best of luck and sincerely pray that his team wins in England," Moin, who was removed for his team's recent lacklustre performance rather than the injury problems as given the reason, remarked.

Javed Miandad was also removed last week as coach despite being given the charge until 2003 World Cup in South Africa.

"I believe a captain should lead from the front. And that's what Vicki has done in Sharjah. He has the credentials, charisma and personality to be the flag bearer.

"Sharjah and England might have different conditions, different oppositions and different ball game. But Vicki has shown tremendous leadership qualities and has extracted the maximum even out of the inexperienced boys," said Moin Khan.

He, however, urged the cricket administrators to give Waqar a proper run. "I am not recommending any time frame but yes, I believe that Vicki should be given enough time to mould the boys and team according to his liking. He will certainly require some time to start delivering the goods."

Moin admitted that he was a bit disappointed at losing the captaincy but emphasised that he was never keen to keep the job. "I repeat that I was asked to lead Pakistan. I never demanded captaincy. In fact, I had rejected the offer twice before accepting it.

"I am disappointed because I think I was improving. But I have no regrets because on current form, Vicki deserves the job because his team is winning. Like any other player, my priority is also to see Pakistan winning which it is with Vicki incharge."

Waqar also captained Pakistan in the 1993-94 Test against Zimbabwe at the Defence Stadium in Karachi. He then led Pakistan in the trination one-day series in Singapore where his team finished second.

Nevertheless, on both the occasions, the flamboyant Burewala Express showed the spark and flare which could make him a successful captain. His imagination was far superior than the ones who have led Pakistan in the recent past while he is, unlike his predecessors, aggressive by nature.

No matter Waqar's appointment throws the fast bowling combination in a fix as Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar (if fit), Mohammad Sami and Abdur Razzaq are likely to earn berths for the England tour, his appointment means England's media will not have an easy time.

Waqar, who was fined by Justice Malik Mohammad Qayyum and also served a one man suspension last year in Sri Lanka for ball tampering, is a confident young man who has the ability to face the hostile English media with conviction and, if required, with combativeness. Besides, he has played for Surrey and Glamorgan for nearly a decade, an experience which will also come into play while dealing with the media and the English players.

It may not be out of context to mention here that Pakistan's 1996 tour to England was a total success because Lancastrians Wasim Akram and Michael Atherton were the rival captains.

While only fools would raise their eyebrows over the appointment of Waqar, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will remain a highly unreliable and unpredictable organization. It created a lot of confusion when one day it said Moin Khan would remain captain, the next day it said Inzamam-ul-Haq would be elevated. But eventually threw its weight behind Waqar Younis.