LONDON (AFP)
Pakistan pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar said on Monday that he wants to follow in the footsteps of international team-mate Waqar Younis by playing for Glamorgan.

Shoaib said he has his heart set on a move to Wales after speaking to former overseas star Waqar, saying a spell in county cricket would improve his game.

"I would love to play for Glamorgan and there are a number of reasons why it would be a good move," said Shoaib, nicknamed the Rawalpindi Express.

"I want to play county cricket because I believe it would be a very important experience for me. I believe it would help me improve further as a player."

Glamorgan are the only county yet to recruit an overseas player for the coming season and Shoaib, who has just starred for Pakistan in the one-day series with the West Indies, is desperate for the chance.

"I missed out on the chance of playing for Nottinghamshire a few years ago because of injury and I would love another opportunity to play county cricket," he told the Western Daily Press.

"But another reason for wanting to play for Glamorgan is that I have been to Wales many times. I know the streets of Cardiff well. I have friends in Cardiff, and whenever I am over in Britain, I usually always go to Cardiff.

"I know it is a nice place to be and that Glamorgan is a friendly county with good players." He added: "I could offer Glamorgan a great deal. I could learn and their bowlers could perhaps learn something from me.

"If they already have someone in mind, then so be it. But if not, I would like them to think about me."

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