In an exclusive interview with CricInfo, Pakistan's new captain Waqar Younis promises to do the job his own way. He reveals that he intends to participate in the 2003 World Cup and issued some words of warning to an England side he believes to be overrated. Agha Akbar fires the questions

Q: You obviously coveted captaincy. How do you feel now that you've got it?

A: Well, I'm very happy. It's a great honour to be leading your country, and it's a matter of great pride for me. God has been very kind to me because at one stage people thought that I was more or less finished. And here I'm today. The PCB has taken a chance on me, and I'm very happy that the Board has some sort of confidence in me that I would deliver.

Waqar Younis: I will not disappoint Photo © CricInfo

Q: When you were appointed captain, it was being said that your own place in the team could not be taken for granted. So that way it was quite a turnaround in fortune

A: Yes, that is because the Board has faith in me that I can do the job and do it well. That is what matters, at least in the beginning. Then there is the matter of performance. I don't know why it was being projected that I should not be sure of my place in the side. After all, in the last two years I have been taking wickets in Test matches, and have been instrumental in winning one-day matches as well. Since the Board has bestowed the captaincy on me, it shows that they believe in me. And I will not disappoint them and the nation.

Q: Personally it must be very satisfying for you

A: Yes, it is very satisfying, and, as I said earlier, it is a matter of great pride and honour for me too. Also I take this job pretty seriously.

Q: Over the years one could feel that you really aspired the captaincy, and one feels that you thought you deserved it. But somehow you never got the chance before this

A: Well, I never really went for it. And I don't know that whether the Board realised it or not that I have potential for the job. In any case now that I have got the captaincy, it is a case of better late than never.

Q: On whom would you like to model yourself as a captain? Is Imran still a kind of role model?

A: Of course, I learnt a lot from him. I have still got all the memories of the times when I played under him, and the way he used to handle the boys and different situations. However, I don't want to model myself on him. I want to do it my way. Probably I am going to use some of the experiences that we shared with him. But above all, I would go out and lead as aggressively as I can.

Q: The way you have stayed cool in difficult situations during the three-nation ARY Cup reminds some people of Imran?

A: Yes, as I said, I have learnt a lot from him. So I would want to use that knowledge and carry on from there.

Q: The first time you captained the team, it was as an understudy, and the second time - last year at Singapore you were a mere stop-gap arrangement. This time when you have got the captaincy in your own right, what things would you like to do differently?

A: Well, the first time I captained Pakistan was in Sharjah in a one-dayer [against West Indies, which Pakistan lost]. I was very immature then. After that I got to lead in a Test at home, against Zimbabwe and that we won. Then, as you said, last year I was made captain but only for one limited-overs tournament. This time round, however, I have been made captain because the Board believed that I deserved it. At the moment, I don't know for sure what kind of changes I would want to make, what things I would want to do differently. I'm just worried about this tournament [the ARY Gold Cup] and then afterwards there is England, which is going to be a whole different ball game altogether. For that we are going to sit down and see what should be done. About one thing I'm pretty sure about is that it is not going to be a one-man show. I want to take the team along, make everybody aware of what is required of them and take their views into consideration. Above all, I am going to be fair to all, I don't want to disappoint anybody in the sense that they feel isolated or unheard. I want to do the job with total honesty and fairness.

Waqar celebrates his 300th Test wicket Photo © AFP

Q: Having taken nearly 300 wickets then in both forms of the game, how disappointed were you at not finding a regular place in the team for nearly three years?

A: Well, all cricketers go through tough times. I had my bad patches, some rough times in the field as well. (Pauses) It just kept happening and I was helpless to do anything about it.

Q: But have those tough times had a lasting impact on you?

A: They actually made me mature. I started thinking positively, because once you have been out of the side like I had been, you want to come back badly. It made me more determined.

Q: How tough was it to win your place back, and along with it your sense of self-esteem?

A: It is always tough to maintain your balance when you are at the top of your game and suddenly you are dropped or don't get picked. It is tough to go back to first-class cricket and prove your worth all over again. It indeed is tough but I kept my head down and stayed cool. Actually it depends on how badly you want it. If you want it badly enough you would get it back.

Q: It really must have preyed on your mind a great deal, because a couple of times I remember you lashed out with such statements as "Wasim Akram has ruined my career"

A: Well, I don't want to talk about that. That is gone, past… I want to look ahead and not back.

Q: How difficult is the forthcoming England series going to be in the context that the hosts have won four series on the trot?

A: Right now, I really don't want to change my focus, which is at winning the final of the ongoing ARY Cup. I wish to win this tournament, and I hope that the team will do it. Regardless, I just want to make sure that everybody gives his best.

Q: But surely England would be somewhere at the back of your mind?

A: Well, it is going to be another tour. Let me tell you as far as I am concerned it is totally irrelevant whom they have beaten and how many times. I don't really care about that. To me they are not the kinds of champions they are being built into. We're just going to go out there and try our best to beat them in their own backyard.

Q: You were one of the livewires, one of the moving spirits when Pakistan won in England in 1992 and 1996. Do you have the same kind of fire in the belly to do it once more?

A: Of course, I have. If I hadn't, I wouldn't be going there. Not only do I have enough fire in myself but I have enough young talent in the side. You know, you need young guns to conquer as well. I will be supported by good youngsters who are keen to make their mark. I am quite positive that we will do well.

And as I have said before, it is going to be my last series in England, which has more or less been a second home for me. I really feel good to be going there as captain of the Pakistan team. Victory in England would really be the icing on the cake.

Q: How good really is Mohammad Sami, because he is being tipped as a sure-fire success in English conditions?

A: Well, I hope so. He has bowled very well in New Zealand, and he has been bowling very well here. I hope he will come good. The way he is bowling, I think he can shatter the England team on his own.

Q: At the moment Pakistan's batting down the order looks lean while at the top you've people who are experienced and are making runs

A: Well, for the England Test series, the side will be a bit different. We will be working on that shortly. We will need batsmen who can stay in the middle for longer periods.

Q: How good does it feel to be guiding and nurturing youngsters like Sami as a captain, just as you were in your own time by Imran?

A: Well, it is the greatest thing you can do. I mean, cricket and my country has given me so much, I believe that I owe them a lot. I surely want to teach the ropes to as many youngsters as I can so that before I go I'm sure that there is someone in the side to not only replace me but also capable of taking 300-plus wickets in quick time.

Waqar: If I stay fit the wickets will come Photo © CricInfo

Q: That really sounds good, because generally there has been this grouse about you and Wasim Akram that you didn't nurture fast bowlers throughout the '90s. So it's really a welcome change that you want to make up for that

A: Well, I don't know about what people think or what people say. I have always been good to the youngsters. Look, it took me a few years to learn things. And since I have learnt a lot from cricket and senior cricketers, I have tried to pass it on to every fast bowler that I have come across. Some have been good enough, while some were not. You have to take that. This time round, we have Sami, then we've got Shoaib Akhtar hopefully coming back, and then you have a raw youngster like Kashif Raza. Actually, there are lots of fast bowlers coming up in Pakistan. So there's lot of potential in there. I am hoping that I can give something back to them.

Q: There is loads of talent as you say but somehow there has not been another Wasim and Waqar in the last 10 years or so

A: You never know. When Imran was there, they used to say that no Imran was coming up. Then it was Wasim and me. The game is not going to stop after we are gone. We'd surely be replaced by bowlers who are as good if not better.

Q: Any personal milestones that you are looking forward to?

A: Well, I'm looking forward to the 2003 World Cup. Touch wood, if I stay fit till then.

Q: And in terms of wickets?

A: If I played till the World Cup, Inshallah (God willing), the wickets will come.

© CricInfo Ltd.