Pakistan captaincy would be an honour: Imad

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Pakistan’s all-rounder Imad Wasim, in an interview with Pakpassion.net, has stated that an offer to captain his country would be an honour, however the final decision rests with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

The 30-year-old stated that he would not shy away from the leadership role as he had never backed down from a challenging task.

“As a young cricketer, I have always wanted to play for Pakistan and being offered captaincy would be an honour for me. However, this is something for the PCB to decide and I would never go to them and ask for this position,” said Wasim. “My job is to play cricket and if I am given the responsibility to captain the side, it would be great as I have never backed down from a challenge, but if not, then just being a member of the team will be an honour in itself.”

The all-rounder expressed sadness after head coach Mickey Arthur’s exit from the national side but was hopeful of working with him in the future.

“Undoubtedly, it’s sad to see Mickey Arthur leave the role of Head Coach but that is a decision which the PCB has made. I do hope that I will have another chance to work with Mickey in the future perhaps at some sort of domestic or league level,” he said. “Mickey did well for the Pakistan side but that is a decision by the PCB to not renew his contract and we must all respect and abide by it as that is how it is.”

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Wasim stated that he had no intention of pursuing Test cricket because of his prior history of injuries.

“Test cricket is not something I would like to pursue as part of my career. Due to my history of injuries, I would rather just play white-ball cricket as I do not think I would be able to last the duration of a Test match,” he said. “Playing white-ball cricket is the best option for me and will also allow me to extend my career longer and that way I can also serve Pakistan for a longer period of time.”

The all-rounder believed the decision of fast-bowler Mohammad Amir to retire from the Test format was the right one and would help the latter prolong his career.

“In my view, Mohammad Amir’s decision to retire from Test cricket is a good one. There is a lot of white-ball cricket being played around the world and if Amir can play longer in white-ball formats then, he will also serve Pakistan for a longer time,” he said. “This would be a better choice for Amir and Pakistan than him just playing a couple of seasons which include Tests and then retiring from the game early due to injuries.”

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Wasim praised the PCB for its efforts to promote Test cricket through the increase in salaries of the players of the longer format.

"I think the PCB have taken some impressive steps in the way they have designed the Central Contracts so as to handsomely compensate Test cricketers, ahead of players who are just good in white-ball cricket. This measure will surely attract young cricketers to take up Test cricket in preference to white-ball cricket,” he concluded.