Former Pakistan speedster and one of the finest bowlers of the yesteryears, Waqar Younis feels that Pakistan might cause an upset in the 2019 World Cup just like they did 27 years ago. Pakistan won the World Cup back in 1992 for the one and only time under the captaincy of Imran Khan. They hadn’t started off the tournament well. However, it was the rise of a certain Inzamam-ul-Haq who changed Pakistan’s mindset. He struck a sensational knock in the semi-final against New Zealand and ensured Pakistan reached a stiff target with few overs to spare.
Meanwhile, Waqar Younis said that no one gave Pakistan a chance in the 1992 tournament and it is the same case this time around as well. They are going through a lean phase and have lost their last 10 ODI’s. They also suffered a defeat at the hands of Afghanistan in their 1st warm-up game. Despite their horrendous performances, Pakistan has that ability to cause an upset and go all the way which was on display during the Champions Trophy in England and Wales back in 2017.
“No-one gave us a chance and we arrived as the underdog. But momentum came and we won the whole thing, that is the beauty of Pakistan cricket. I was not part of the team because I was injured just before the World Cup but I remember the team coming home. The whole country was out on the streets, the lights were on and we had a trophy parade.
It was party-mode, it was a carnival. Hopefully, that will happen again but there is work to do. The positive for Pakistan is that they have started scoring big totals. They have shown they are capable of scoring 300 plus and we saw that in their series against England,” Waqar Younis said.
Pakistan posted totals over 350 on a few occasions during the 5 match ODI series against England. However, they kept losing all the matches despite putting up a strong show with the bat. They have brought back the likes of Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz. The experience of the duo might come in handy for Pakistan as they have been ordinary with the ball in the last couple of series.
“The batsman have got used to the surfaces very quickly and have piled on the runs. They are all in good form, especially Babar Azam and Haris Sohail. Fakhar Zaman and Imam-ul-Haq have also done well so the top four looks really good. That issue has been solved.
But the biggest issue for me is the fielding. The bowling is moving in a good direction, with Wahab Riaz coming back into the side and Mohammad Amir restored. I am sure that will get a bit better but if the fielders don’t take their chances and catch balls and stop the extra 15 or 20 runs then they could struggle,” Younis further added.