Waqar Younis

Profile

If Wasim Akram relied on the subtle changes of swing and seam, Waqar Younis was an excellent promoter of reverse swing, with the late inswing Yorker, often crashing into the base of the middle and leg stump and leaving batsmen bewildered. It was this reverse swing that got him into trouble, when he was found guilty of ball tampering – to ensure that the reverse swing did happen – and banned for a match. However, that does not belittle the 373 Test and 416 ODI wickets that Waqar took, in a career that lasted more than 14 years. It was at Imran Khan’s behest that Waqar Younis made his Test debut against India, in the same match as Tendulkar. Younis also holds the record for being the first ever bowler to pick up three consecutive five-wicket hauls and two consecutive six-wicket hauls in ODI cricket. He then went on to captain is country in the 2003 World Cup. It turned out to be a disaster, as Pakistan won only two matches – both against non Test playing nations, and duly crashed out of the tournament. Post retirement, he became the bowling coach of the Pakistan national team, but resigned when his contract was not renewed for the next series, and took up commentary.Currently, Waqar Younis has settled in Australia, where he coaches a local cricket club. He is also a regular Channel Nine commentator whenever Pakistan tours the country.

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Career

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