Controversial fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar wants to captain Pakistan in international cricket before retiring. "I hope one day I will be given that chance before I retire as it's still my dream to captain Pakistan," Shoaib told website www.pakpassion.net on Thursday. Shoaib lost nearly all his 2009 fees when the Pakistan Cricket Board deducted an unpaid fine of 7 million rupees ($81,400) for comments he made about selectors.
He was due to earn 7,044,971 rupees ($81,920) from his central contract fee, match fees and win bonuses for January to November 2009, but the PCB sent him a pay cheque of just 44,971 rupees ($525) in last December after deducting the fine. "Captaining your country is the dream of every cricketer and I am no different," Shoaib said. "As a young boy when I first started playing cricket it was my dream to captain my country."
Shoaib made two unimpressive comebacks to international cricket - against Sri Lanka and Australia in one-day internationals last year - before he was again sidelined due to fitness problems. He is now leading his team Khan Research Laboratories in the domestic one-day tournament in a bid to regain his place in the national squad. "My aim and goal is to win back my place in the Pakistan team and I strongly believe that I will be back.