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I won't lead Pakistan again, says Akram

Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram has indicated that Test opening batsman Aamir Sohail and wicketkeeper Moin Khan are the ideal choices for captaining the national team.

Akram, bound for Manchester to take part in the county circuit, said "It is time for the Pakistan Cricket Board to groom new players for the senior side’s captaincy."

The statement comes at a time when the PCB, riven by allegations of betting, bribery and match-fixing within the senior team, is struggling to name a captain for the national side on a long term basis.

Saying that he was fed up with allegations of match-fixing against him, Akram, who has led Pakistan in three different seasons, said: "I will not lead the national side ever again."

"I think either Aamir Sohail or Moin Khan should be the new captain as they are both capable of leading Pakistan at the national level," Akram said.

Curiously, one name that never surfaces in such discussions about captaincy material is that of Inzamam ul Haq. The premier batsman has made no secret of the fact that he nurses an ambition to lead the side. His name has never figured, even peripherally, in allegations of match fixing and betting. Yet Inzamam remains way outside the parameters of contention for the captaincy.

Akram, now active in the county circuit, said he was 100 per cent fit and bowling at his best. Sources said Akram had arrived in Pakistan at PCB chairman Khalid Mahmood’s request, to discuss the left-arm fast bowler’s future as a Pakistan cricketer.

On Sunday, the PCB Executive Council meeting in Lahore decided to defer the announcement of captain and coach for the senior team until the submission of an interim report by a probe committee in Pakistan.

The PCB probe committee on gambling and betting in cricket is nearing the deadline imposed by the ministry for sports and culture, and its brief is to bring to light the real culprits behind the ongoing scandal rocking Pakistan cricket.

Akram confirmed that he had not appeared before the probe committee for any discussion. Last December, Akram had resigned from the Pakistan captaincy after allegations of match-fixing surfaced following Pakistan’s defeat in a Sharjah tournament.

Many Pakistan Test players, including Sohail, Rameez Raja, Aaqib Javed and Basit Ali have appeared before the committee.

Agencies