Waqar Younis, former Pakistan bowling coach has elaborated on his abrupt resignation from the role. Waqar Younis and head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq stunned the global cricketing fraternity by stepping down after selectors announced Pakistan’s squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup where experienced campaigners like Shoaib Malik, Faheem Ashraf, and Wahab Riaz were omitted.
Waqar Younis earlier revealed that it made no sense for him to stay after Misbah-Ul-Haq decided to walk away. The former Pakistan skipper opined that they quit their roles before the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fired them.
Waqar Younis Quit As Pakistan Bowling Coach For Spending Time With Family And Appointment Of Ramiz Raja Also Was A Part Behind The Decision
“There were two to three reasons behind my decision. Obviously, spending time with family was one of them which was becoming difficult due to Covid-19. Also, after the appointment of new PCB chairman [Ramiz Raja], the wise thing was to reign because it seemed as if he [Raja] wanted to bring a new setup. So, when Misbah resigned, I decided to follow suit,” Younis told Cricket Pakistan.
Waqar Younis continued by saying there could have been bigger repercussions if he hadn’t stepped down as new people tend to have a different way of doing things.
“If we would not have taken this decision, a bigger problem would have been created. There could have been a controversy. I have enough experience to understand the cricket board and its history. When a new setup takes over, they have their own way of doing things and taking all of that into account it was a sensible thing to do.”
Waqar Younis Also Backed Pakistan’s Bowling Attack To Thrive In 2021 T20I WC
Waqar Younis also backed Pakistan’s bowling attack to thrive in the upcoming 2021 T20 World Cup. As for the blockbuster clash against India, the former bowler urged his countrymen cricketers to have the self-belief to have any chance of winning.
“[A] World Cup is a small tournament and if your players are in form and luck favours you, the team can go all the way. Our bowling can defend any total and, if we can fix some of the issues in our batting, this team has the potential to go all the way. If the team plays to their potential, I think they will challenge the Indian team and even beat them. They should play positive cricket and believe that they can beat India.”
India and Pakistan will open their World Cup campaign against each other in Dubai on the 24th of October. It’s worth noting that the Men in Green are yet to beat their arch-rivals in a World Cup game in 12 encounters across the T20I and 50-over editions.
But, rather than the record against their arch-rivals, Pakistan will be more worried about their lack of match practice ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup. It is to be noted that New Zealand recently called off their white-ball tour to Pakistan due to security reasons and England looks likely to follow suit. New Zealand was supposed to play 3 ODIs and 5 T20Is and England -2 T20Is in Pakistan.
On the bowling side of things, youngster Shaheen Shah Afridi will be the biggest factor. Notably, Pakistan has won 4 out of the last 5 T20I series they have played. So far Pakistan has won one T20 World Cup trophy back in 2009 by defeating Sri Lanka by 8 wickets at the Home of cricket Lord’s Cricket Ground, London. They will have an eye on winning the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 in United Arab Emirates (UAE).