Waqar Younis, former Pakistan pacer and ex-captain has criticized Australia coach Justin Langer’s praise for David Warner’s double-bouncer six which he hit off Mohammad Hafeez in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 between Australia and Pakistan.
Bowling the eighth over, the ball slipped out of Mohammed Hafeez’s hands and as it reached David Warner on two bounces, the Australia opener smoked it for six.
Waqar Younis: David Warner Had The Right To Hit It But Justin Langer’s Praise Was Ridiculous And Isn’t Right
While David Warner’s decision to hit a six was met with mixed reactions from the cricket fraternity, with the whole ‘spirit of cricket’ coming into question, Waqar Younis feels the batsman was in his right to do whatever he wanted but warned that it should not be promoted as he sets a bad example for youngsters watching the game.
“It’s fine. It was legal. He had the right to hit it and he did. That’s all good. But promoting it is wrong. The way Justin Langer praised it by saying things like ‘Brilliant presence of mind, I’ve never seen anything like this on the cricket pitch’… is ridiculous. That is not right. What are you teaching the little kids? Fine, it is your mindset… you play the way you want to but don’t teach the youngsters,” Waqar said on A Sports.
David Warner smashed a 30-ball 49 during Australia’s record 177-run chase in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 against Pakistan. His knock, along with the efforts of Marcus Stoinis and Matthew Wade, helped the Kangaroos book a berth in the final of the global event against New Zealand.
Waqar Younis Recalled A Previous Incident In 1999 When Justin Langer Didn’t Walk Back To The Pavillion Despite Nicking A Ball
Recalling a previous incident, Waqar Younis said it was not a surprise seeing Australia coach Justin Langer speak highly of it. During a Test match between Pakistan and Australia in Hobart in 1999, Waqar Younis revealed how Justin Langer did not walk despite edging the ball but instead, a few days later admitted to have nicked it.
“Justin Langer has this history. In a Test match in the 1990s, we played a very famous Test match at Hobart. We were on the brink of winning the Test match but when he nicked the ball, he did not walk. And it was the biggest nick I had ever heard,” Waqar said.
“He admitted 2-3 days later. I had a chat with him at one of the functions and he said ‘oh, there was a click in there. I said ‘don’t give me that rubbish’. He agreed to it. What are you trying to promote?”
Marcus Stoinis, along with Matthew Wade, put on 81 runs for the 6th wicket in just 6.3 overs to take their side over the line in the memorable semi-finals against Pakistan, who was unbeaten in the group stage. Marcus Stoinis smashed 40 not-out, while Matthew Wade hit 41* off 17 balls. 22 runs were needed in the last 12 balls, and Matthew Wade took Australia home with 6 balls to spare. Shaheen Shah Afridi got hammered for three sixes in a row in the penultimate over.