Waqar Younis will captain Pakistan till the 2003 World Cup but star batsman Saeed Anwar might be lost to the game as he has turned to religion, the head of Pakistan's cricket board has said. "Mudassar Nazar and Waqar Younis will remain coach and captain until the World Cup but they need to show consistent performances to keep their places," Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Lieutenant General (retird) Tauqir Zia said in a television interview.

He pointed out that Moin Khan had earlier been appointed captain until the World Cup, to be played in South Africa, "but his performance was not up to the mark and we had to replace him."

He hoped that Younis and former captain Wasim Akram would carry on until the World Cup. The PCB chief admitted that former coach Javed Miandad had resigned from his post because of differences with the players.

"Miandad and players had some differences on the performance, but money was never a problem between them," he contended.

Miandad quit in April after some senior players refused to accept him as the team coach following Pakistan's forgettable tour of New Zealand.
Bureau Report