Saeed Anwar stepped down voluntarily from the Captaincy of the Pakistan side after the second test against the Lankans. During the second innings, Saeed ran into Umpire Nazir and had to be carried off the ground. Saeed suffered a concussion as well as aggravating a knee injury that he had been carrying for some time. He had an MRI scan which confirmed the extent of his injury at which point he called a press conference and announced his decision to step down as Captain. Saeed ruled himself out of the final test match as well as the ODI series in Sharjah and the West Indies. Saeed said that his knee was causing major problems for him since the World Cup, however he had tried to put surgery off as long as possible. "I tried to avoid surgery but it was the best option available and after the MRI scan I did not want to continue as Captain since I was clearly not physically fit. Moin Khan is a good choice, he's a good friend and I think he'll be a fine Captain". When asked whether he plans on regaining the Captaincy once he returns - Saeed said " I have no such plans, to be honest. Like I said before - I have never asked for the Captaincy not do I ever intend to lobby for it. I consider it an honor to play for Pakistan and Im happy playing as a regular member of the side and getting runs for Pakistan. Thats my priority". At this point, Saeed is aiming for a return by the time the first test between Pakistan and the West Indies begins. However, he has still not made up his mind. " It depends on how the knee responds. If I can satisfy myself that I am fully fit - then I will definately play in the Test matches". Good luck to Saeed Anwar. Hopefully, he'll be fit and ready to go.
KARACHI, Feb 10: Saeed Anwar on Thursday said that he would enjoy his
second tenure as captain and promised to be more aggressive in the
forthcoming series against Sri Lanka.
"In my first term, I took captaincy as a burden. I was worried that
my performance will be affected. And it was chiefly because I was
inexperienced three years ago," he said from Lahore. He, however,
said he was now more seasoned and mature. He added that he also met
cricket legend Imran Khan and discussed his game plan as Captain.
"Imran advised me to enjoy the captaincy and never fear defeats,"
said Saeed. "Imran said his secret to success as a captain was that
he was aggressive and never afraid to end up on the losing side," he said. .
Saeed, a computer engineer by profession, restrained from making any
predictions in the forthcoming series but minced no words in saying
that if his team had to beat Sri Lanka, they will have to play at
their full potential. "We have a new team which will be playing as a
group for the first time. On the contrary, the Sri Lankans despite
having new faces, have been playing together for sometime.
Nevertheless, Saeed said he would advise his team to play positive
and aggressive cricket. "That's our trade-mark. We are known
for attacking cricket and we do not intend on changing our style."
On the selection of the team, Saeed said he was happy with the squad
that was picked by the advisory panel of the Pakistan Cricket Board
(PCB). "The board wants to start preparing the best possible team for
the 2003 World Cup and beyond. The changes have been made accordingly.
The PCB wants me, Wasim Akram, Aamir Sohail and Moin Khan to groom
the youngsters so that they are fully ready for the World Cup.
Saeed observed that Pakistan has played 50 odd one-dayers this season which was too much.
"Ideally, I would like to see Pakistan play 30 one-dayers and
10-12 Tests in a season."