JOHANNESBURG, Jan 25: Pakistan have fully recovered from their hectic schedule of international cricket and are ready to challenge for the World Cup, captain Waqar Younis said on Saturday.

Pakistan were beaten 4-1 in their recent one-day series in South Africa as well as suffering two heavy defeats in the Test series.

“If you look overall we played six months on the trot in Sri Lanka, Kenya, Zimbabwe and South Africa,” Waqar said after landing at Johannesburg International Airport.

“We needed a rest and it was an important break. We used the time well. We talked about the tour here and spoke about the problems. Hopefully we’ve sorted things out.”

The World Cup, staged in South Africa, Zimbabwe and Kenya, starts in Cape Town on Feb 9.

The Pakistan captain said he had spent some time talking to Imran Khan, Pakistan’s victorious skipper at the 1992 World Cup.

“In 1992 no one expected Pakistan to win. I spoke with Imran Khan. It’s not that he won with the team — he won with the brain,” he said. “It was the way he thought about things. You have to believe in yourself and the team.”

Opener Saeed Anwar and all-rounder Azhar Mahmood both missed out on the South Africa tour and Waqar said he was hopeful they could add to his side’s effectiveness.

“You must remember that the World Cup is not a three-nation tournament, it lasts for six weeks,” he said. “Azhar was injured and Saeed was out of touch, but he’s (Saeed) played some domestic cricket. We brought the oldies back in for their experience.”

Waqar also said his team had no problem with traveling to Zimbabwe where they are due to play the home side in Bulawayo on March 4.

“We’ve never had a problem with playing there. We haven’t even spoken about it,” he said.—Reuters