Waqar to lead Pakistan against England

Sharjah, April 15: Veteran fast bowler Waqar Younis will captain Pakistan on the tour of England in May, it was announced here on Sunday.

Waqar, 29, standing in for the injured Moin Khan in the ongoing Sharjah tri-series here, was told of his appointment by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Tauqir Zia.

"Waqar is doing a good job as captain and he will stay till England," Zia said, referring to Pakistan's three consecutive wins in the tri-series also featuring Sri Lanka and New Zealand. 

Waqar, a regular on the English county circuit for the past 10 years, said he was honoured to captain Pakistan on his last tour of England.

"England is like a second home to me. Leading Pakistan on my last tour of that country is an icing on the cake," said the 71-Test veteran with 319 wickets to his credit.

The rest of the Pakistan team for the tour, which includes two Tests and a limited-overs series against England and Australia, will be named on April 23.

Waqar was named captain for Sharjah after Moin and senior pro Wasim Akram pulled out after the recent New Zealand tour with injuries.

Zia was, however, confident that Akram and speedster Shoaib Akhtar will be available for the England tour.

"Moin was my number one choice for captain, but he has been advised rest for six weeks to overcome niggling injuries," Zia said.

"Wasim is working hard to regain full fitness and Shoaib is very keen to make the tour after suspicions about his action were dispelled during a recent coaching stint in Australia."

Zia said Pakistan will also have a new coach in place for England after Javed Miandad resigned following the dismal New Zealand tour where Pakistan drew the Tests 1-1 and lost the one-day series 3-2.

"We are looking at a foreign coach," he said. "There was various options but we are in the process of making a short list."

West Australian Daryl Foster, who works with Shoaib in Perth, and South African Barry Richards are some of the early conternders, but Zia stressed he was looking at other options.

"We have (former England captain) Tony Greig and our own Rameez Raja as consultants, I will speak to them about a suitable person for the job."