Waqar hails Afridi's appointment

Stressing the need for having continuity in the team management, newly-appointed coach Waqar Younis has hailed Shahid Afridi's appointment as Pakistan captain for next month's Twenty20 World Cup in the West Indies.

Waqar said he believed that frequent shuffling of coach, captain or manager after every loss was not a good trend in Pakistan cricket.

"I think if anyone in the team deserved to be made the captain at this time it is Afridi. He is a very seasoned pro and has the leadership qualities required to bring the best out of this team," said the former Test fast bowler, who has been appointed as coach until the end of 2011.

"Afridi is a good choice and I am sure he can deliver good results and turn this team into a match winning outfit," he said.

"It serves no purpose to change the team management after a bad series. I am a firm believer that the authorities must give the captain and team management a proper term to prove themselves. A minimum one-year period should be given to any captain to prove himself," he added.

Afridi has been named captain only for the Twenty20 World Cup but many believe he is a strong choice to lead Pakistan team in other formats of the game, provided if he delivers positive results in the West Indies.

Waqar said even though he knew it was important to successfully defend the World Twenty20, his main target was the 2011 World Cup in the sub-continent.

"The way I see it if we do well in the T20 World Cup we can carry forward the confidence into the main World Cup. It is being held in the South Asia region and in conditions familiar to us. It is a very good opportunity for us to do well in the World Cup," he said.

The former captain conceded that coaching or captaining the Pakistan team was not a bed of roses.

"But I want to do my best and prove everyone wrong that top players cannot be top coaches. Personally, this is a big challenge for me and I am looking forward to working with the players afresh," he said.

"Our team can beat anyone and if we want to move forward we have to put aside our egos and minor problems," Waqar stated.

The Pakistan training camp for the Twenty World Cup starts on Monday in Lahore and will continue over a period of three weeks before the team leaves for the West Indies.