Waqar Younis: Not The Correct Time To Think About Playing Cricket
Former ace Pakistan bowler and present Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis has said that he does not want cricket matches to begin soon and be played in empty stadiums due to the coronavirus threat.
He feels that such desperate plans would intensify the present health crisis which has infected hundreds of thousands of people worldwide.
Speaking to journalists over a video call the World cup winning bowler said that there should not be any matches played at the moment when the world is battling the pandemic.
He disagreed with the suggestion that cricket should resume soon even if it means to be played before empty stadiums.
He said,” No I don’t agree with this suggestion that cricket activities should resume soon even before empty stadiums.”
Some former players and board officials have suggested that cricket matches can resume slowly and be played before empty stadiums by following proper precautions by teams, officials and other ground staff.
However, the former fast bowler thinks that we have to wait for at least 5 to 6 months time until the normal situation comes back and then consider playing without any spectators.
He said, “I think maybe in five or six months’ time when things are under control around the world and we get back some normalcy in life, we can think about matches behind closed doors.”
He believes that there is time to think about it but not in the immediate future. He added,” “At some stage, we need to think about these choices but not this month or next month…the situation is not right for any cricket activities.”
“I Want T20 World Cup To Be Held”
Waqar also said that he wants this year’s T20 world cup to happen even if it is slightly delayed as he wanted to be part of the management which has won a major title.
“Whenever I have played for Pakistan as a player or been a coach with the Pakistan team it has always been my desire to see the team win a major ICC title. That is why this World T20 is so important for me and for the team. I would like to be the part of management where we can win a major title,” he added.
