Waqar Younis, one of the most formidable fast bowlers in the history of Pakistan cricket with 332 Test wickets, visited Bangladesh back in 1994 for two exhibition matches. Now he is an optimistic captain, seen roaming around the BKSP dressing room in friendly discussion with his teammates while his side was batting against Bangladesh A. He talked to CricInfo there.

No I don't take it as a relaxing tour. Of course there is no doubt that it is a pretty relaxing place. But as we are playing Test cricket we don't take any side less seriously no matter how weak they really are. Cricket is something that could turn out to be anybody's game at any moment. Yes, we feel relaxed in this three-day match, as it would serve as a worm up before the Tests. We have been off the field for more than three months, so this game helps us in many ways. When the Test match starts we will be different altogether. We are taking Bangladesh seriously. Of course anything less than a win would be very disappointing. We are looking for a clean sweep.

Yes I have lost pace. When you are bowling for years you have to lose some of your pace. But I think I am a more mature bowler now. I think I am wiser and sharper than in those days. Now I have learnt to bowl using the mind and its strength, which is very important. I am more confident.

No, I hardly agree. I probably didn't get many wickets because of the bad patch I had to go through. Pace barely matters here. I was having a poor streak of performances and had some injuries that hampered my smooth run in the team. If I played a couple of matches I found I was out in the squad for the next one. I think I am a better bowler now than I was in 1993.

Right, missing World Cup 1992 is something that will haunt me for the rest of my life. We became champions that time and at the last moment I had to pull out. That was upsetting, because I was in the best of my form in '92. In 1999 I wasn't finding the lost rhythm back.

I don't know whether captaincy is shoring up my present performance, but I went through a bad patch for a couple of years. I was in and out of the team and struggling to get my form back. But then I was promoted to captain, and I am enjoying the job. Probably I am bowling better than ever - I am savoring my performance and the team's as well.

I am mentally very strong. I stick to my job all the time whenever I bowl. That is probably my success. I was never a bowler who bowls too many bouncers. In my view too many bouncers are a waste of energy. Besides it won't work while you are facing class batsmen. Sometimes bouncers are good to force the batsman to play on the back foot. I prefer to use other arsenals.

No doubt he is a great left-arm fast bowler. He is unparallelled. I always enjoy bowling with him at the other end. That gives me a lot of inspiration. We have a healthy and friendly competition going on between us. If he takes a couple of wickets I try to take three.

I used to follow Imran Khan and Malcolm Marshall. They were great bowlers. Imran Khan was always an inspiration for me, a complete idol.

Pakistan yield so many good fast bowlers! We have a couple of pretty prominent ones in the squad, Shoaib and Sami. They are the future of Pakistan. There are also few in our academy back home. They are very promising and will emerge soon.

It will take time, as it took for all Test playing countries when they first got the status. Nothing dramatic will happen overnight. Bangladesh are the weakest side at the moment, and the more they play with stronger opponents the quicker they will be able to raise their level. I have spotted some improvements on this visit. It will take a few more years to come to a level.

© CricInfo