Cricket legend Imran Khan has spoken of his immense pride at being asked to be the new chancellor of a University.

The former hero all-rounder-turned-politician said, "It is a great honour to be asked to be chancellor of any university, but coming from Bradford, for me, makes it an extra special honour."

Speaking publicly from Pakistan for the first time since his appointment was announced, the 52-year-old added: "Bradford University is a university with a fine reputation. I rarely come back to the UK these days but coming back to Bradford is something I am looking forward to. I am very proud to have been asked to take on the role."

He said the reputations of the university's chemistry and IT departments, in particular, were excellent.

And he hoped the experience would help him to set up a university to improve youngsters' education in his constituency of Mianwali in Pakistan.

"I have heard these two departments are outstanding. IT interests me very much here and I feel that is the future for many young people. It is a good way of people getting employment and a good way to become a good earner."

He said there was a long way to go but hoped the Bradford connection would speed up the process.

"My constituency is in the outbacks and is a very backward one. They need a centre of excellence for education. I am starting with a technical college then hoping to create a university for the people here," he said.

He studied economics and politics at Keble College, Oxford, and said he hoped his own two sons by his former wife Jemima Goldsmith, Suleiman and Kasim, would eventually go on to a university.

"University benefited me so much. It is a wonderful way of gaining knowledge and it equips you for the rest of your life."

He said his memories of Bradford go back to when he was an 18-year-old starting out in English county cricket and games in Yorkshire were part of his life.

"I have played regularly in Bradford. I have always enjoyed it. Yorkshire is a cricket-crazy county and I always got a lot of Pakistani support."

He said he was guaranteed good Pakistani food from the Bradford curry houses and the people had always been big supporters of his campaign to build the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Trust Cancer Hospital in memory of his mother in Lahore.

He said he would be attending the summer degree ceremony in July and would then return several times during the year for key events in the university's calendar.

"It is a ceremonial appointment, I appreciate that, but I am looking forward very much to my links with the university. I consider it a great honour to have been asked to be chancellor."

But he won't be pulling on the whites again for any cricketing comebacks. The World Cup winner said since quitting the game 13 years ago he had rarely played - and age had been catching up with him.

"I have played perhaps only four or five times in friendly matches. I wasn't very good. The brain knows what to do still but the body is slow to follow!"

Mr Khan, born in Lahore, in 1952, and was selected for the Pakistan team in 1970. He became captain in 1981 and led them to a string of victories culminating in the World Cup in 1992.

He retired from cricket to start the Pakistan Justice Movement and is a member of Pakistan's National Assembly.

He said: "I have my political party and that takes up a lot of my time these days. I am working on a second cancer hospital and building schools in my constituency.

"I am based very much here but I am very much looking forward to my new connection with Bradford."