Waqar Younis has moved on from hurling toe-crushing yorkers at lightning pace as the world’s premier fast bowler, to the hot seat desired only by the truly brave and gutsy: the Head Coach of Pakistan. The insight and wisdom gained from years of cricket may finally have started showing itself in the greyish beard on his face, but the passion and the drive is still as strong as ever.
PakPassion.net recently caught up in an exclusive discussion with the man assigned arguably the toughest job in world cricket. The Burewala Express now carries an aura only reserved for the legends of the game, but was delighted to share his insights and feedback with PakPassion.net.
Waqar’s views on the latest sensation from Burewala: Mohammad Irfan
Being given the responsibility of coaching the Pakistani side during turmoil, Waqar has accepted the challenge with his usual conviction and sense of purpose. He has also wasted no time in identifying and nurturing new prospects for Pakistan cricket, with PakPassion’s favourite Mohammad Irfan being one of them.
Waqar came across as someone impressed with Irfan's potential, and as one who supports Irfan's dream of playing for Pakistan one day, adding “Why not? He is totally unorthodox, he's tall, he's got potential”. “I thought he might be good for the World T20 competition but unfortunately he couldn't get into the side. I believe in the very near future he could get into the side”, continued Waqar, though he was non-committal on whether the youngster would be considered for Pakistan’s summer Test series against both Australia and England.
Irfan had a topsy-turvy time prior to the World T20 but he remains a great future prospect for Pakistan, provided he continues to work hard and maintains his focus and exemplary work-ethic. Waqar also confirmed that Irfan has a promising future ahead of him and that he is hoping to work with the Burewala Giant in the future.
Plans for the English summer
Pakistan has an exciting summer of cricket ahead of it, with two crucial Test series in England. Waqar confirmed that once the team returns to Pakistan after the ongoing World T20, the selectors would review the potential options for the English summer. Pakistan hopes to have the services of Umar Gul and Yasir Arafat, both of whom are currently being rested due to injuries.
Waqar’s view is that additional bowlers are essential in the squad to cope with any possible setbacks due to injuries, stating that “we need a lot of boys to be playing, we may bring a couple extra”. “We’ve got a long tour this summer and (players) are already injured and that's why we have given Umar Gul a rest, Yasir Arafat a rest. We need all those fast bowlers for the English conditions”.
Strategies at the World T20
Looking ahead to the conclusion of the World T20, Waqar informed PakPassion that in addition to the bowlers' injuries, one of the key areas of focus for Pakistan before the tournament had been its batting. Waqar added that Pakistan’s approach would be to remain as flexible as possible, in order to maximise opportunities during the game. “T20 is a kind of a format where you can shuffle anyone, you can bring anyone up or down”.
“We've got a few plans and we're going to stick with it. We played quite a few practice matches before we came here; we’ve got plans in place. We'll see what the pitches are like and play appropriately”, Waqar continued, giving nothing away about the team’s strategy or its make-up.
The desire to try different approaches has been evident in Pakistan’s matches in the World Twenty20 so far, none more so than in the do-or-die game against South Africa, where Pakistan took the unusual step of selecting just one recognised pacer, a move dictated by the injuries to its premier fast bowlers, and the relatively poor form of the other pacers selected. The move paid off as Abdul Razzaq filled in with an admirable new ball spell to support Mohammad Aamer, and the spinners were able to take Pakistan across the line.
This willingness to try new and different things should hopefully continue, and will certainly keep things interesting for Pakistani cricket followers as we look forward to the semi-final and to a packed summer of cricket after that.
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