New skipper promises to be aggressive

Karachi, Feb 10: Saeed Anwar on Thursday said that he would enjoy his second tenure as captain and promised to be more aggressive in the forthcoming series against Sri Lanka.

"In my first term, I took captaincy as a burden. I was scared that my performance will be affected. And it was chiefly because I was inexperienced three years ago," he said from Lahore.

He, however, said he was now more seasoned and mature. He added that he also met cricket legend Imran Khan and discussed his shortcomings.

"Imran advised me to enjoy captaincy and never fear defeats," said Saeed. "Imran told his experience and his secret to success as a captain saying he was aggressive and was never afraid to end up on the losing side," he said.

Saeed, 31, said he accepted the captaincy because Wasim Akram had expressed his inability to lead the team and Moin Khan had declined the offer.

Saeed, who had a lot of problems in the past with Aamir Sohail, hoped that things would change around this time.

"Aamir Sohail is a utility player. He is in the team purely on merit.

He recalled that when Aamir was the captain, he gave his best by striking back-to-back centuries against Australia at Rawalpindi and Peshawar. "Our relationship might not have been very good then but I still played for him, the team and the country. That's what I expect from him (Aamir Sohail) this time."

Asked if he would be able to handle the additional pressure in the wake of his below-par performance in Australia, Saeed said he was now in a positive frame of mind and looking forward to break the run drought.

Saeed, a computer engineer by profession, restrained from making any predictions in the forthcoming series but minced no words in saying that if Pakistan had to beat Sri Lanka, they will have to play at their full potential.

"We have a new team which will be playing as a group for the first time. On the contrary, the Sri Lankans despite having new faces, have been playing together for sometime.

"Besides, I believe that there is an additional pressure when you play in front of your crowd because the expectations are very high. People come to see you win and perform. Naturally, the spectators lose faith in you and your team if you let them down."

Nevertheless, Saeed said he would advice his team to play positive and aggressive cricket. "That's our trade-mark. We are known for attacking cricket so why should we change our style."

On the selection of the team, Saeed said he agreed with the squad that was picked by the advisory panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). "The board wants to start preparing the team for 2003 World Cup and the changes have been made according to that scheme. The board wants me, Wasim Akram, Aamir Sohail and Moin Khan to groom the youngsters so that they (youngsters) are fully ready for the South African event."

Saeed observed that Pakistan has played 50 odd one-dayers this season which was too much. "Ideally, I would like to see Pakistan play 30 one-dayers and 10-12 Tests in a season."