Waqar joins Warwickshire as Bond's replacement

Waqar Younis has joined Warwickshire on a one-year contract as replacement for Shane Bond who has suffered a suspected stress fracture of the back.

Waqar, who has already enjoyed spells in England with Surrey and Glamorgan, did not get off to the best of starts, opting to miss the Frizzell County Championship match against Kent because of general fitness concerns. He hopes to make his debut in a one-dayer against Essex in seven days' time.

"This will probably be my last season in county cricket but I'm a professional cricketer, I enjoy it and my appetite is there," Waqar said. "I've been training for the last four or five days and things are looking good so I'll be quite ready to play in the next game. They're a good bunch here, but I still hope I can make a difference.

"The team here is very talented and if things go well for us I feel we've got a real chance of winning something."

Waqar became available for another spell in county cricket after being sacked as Pakistan's captain following the team's early World Cup exit. He was one of eight players left out of the squad for the subsequent Sharjah tournament.