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Waqar declares himself fit

In a rather anticlimactic end to recent rumours that injury would cause him to miss the rest of the cricket season, Pakistan's pace bowling ace Waqar Younis has reportedly informed his national selectors that he is available for selection for the Sahara Cup in Toronto.

An elbow injury had caused him to miss out on the county season in England, where he plays for Glamorgan. Waqar has not been in action since June 24, and when he flew back to Pakistan, it was amidst rumours that the injury was serious enough to put him out of action for the rest of the year.

Waqar, however, has indicated to the national selection committee that his elbow is perfectly fine, and that he is also rapidly on the mend from a slight knee injury, and promised to keep himself available for the training camp for the Toronto-bound squad, to be conducted in Lahore from August 25.

Newly installed skipper Aamer Sohail, meanwhile, said that he was looking up to teaming with coach Javed Miandad.

"He is the greatest cricketer Pakistan has ever produced and I have played under his captaincy. He always supported me and was a good advisor, I don't see things being any different now," Sohail said, adding that both he and Miandad wanted Pakistan to be the best in the world.

Amid speculation that Miandad could take advantage of a rule that permits the coach to actually make the playing eleven, Sohail said if that happened, he would have no problems with having Miandad in the team. "If he is comfortable with the idea of turning out as a player and if the Board and selection committee doesn't have any problem with that, why should I?" Sohail asked.

It was the 41-year-old former star himself, who had said he wanted to serve as player-cum-coach.

In Lahore, however, PCB officials flatly said that the executive council had not agreed in principle to Miandad actually playing an active, on-field role.