Former Pakistan pace bowler Waqar Younis was born on 16 November 1971, in Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan. He is considered to be one of the greatest fast bowlers ever in world cricket.
He and Wasim Akram were considered one of the deadliest bowling pairs in cricketing history.
He attended Sadiq Public School in Bahawalpur, Pakistan, Pakistan Islamia Higher Secondary School in Sharjah, and the Government College in Vehari. Waqar spent his childhood in Sharjah, the United Arab Emirates, where his father was employed as a contract worker. After returning to Pakistan, he began to play cricket. Younis made his first-class debut in the 1987-88 season for Multan.
After jumping into a canal in a freak incident, Waqar injured himself when he cut and got rid of his left hand’s little finger. It, however, did not affect his cricketing career. His talent was spotted by Imran Khan, the former Pakistan captain. Following that, he was selected to the Pakistan Test team, though the pacer had featured only in six first-class games until then.
He made his Test debut against India in November 1989 in Karachi. It was in the same match that Sachin Tendulkar, the Indian legend, also made his debut. He dismissed Tendulkar for 15 in the first innings. Waqar took four wickets in that match which was a draw. His performance in that match impressed other cricketers, as well as the media, who nicknamed him “Burewala Express.”
Since then, he became a regular player in the Pakistan side. Waqar gained international fame when he played for Surrey in the English county.
In 1991, when he took 113 wickets at an average of 14.65 for Surrey, he cemented his reputation as one of the best bowlers in the world.
In the 1990s, he and Wasim Akram would open the bowling for Pakistan. Both of them were considered to be one of the best fast bowling pairs ever in the world. In early 2000, differences with Akram led him to be suspended and dropped from his country’s Test team briefly. When Waqar made a comeback, he was named Pakistan’s skipper.
His reputation took a beating when he was banned in July 2000 for alleged ball-tampering. He, however, put all that behind and continued to trouble the international batsman.
He represented Pakistan in 87 Test matches and 262 ODIs matches in his career, which lasted from 1989 to 2003. Waqar took 373 wickets in Test matches and 416 in ODIs before he retired from international cricket in April 2004.
He was named one of the Wisden Cricketers for the Year 1992. He has the second-best strike rate for any bowler who has taken more than 350 Test wickets. Only South Africa’s Dale Steyn is ahead of him. Waqar was also the youngest bowler to take 400 wickets in ODI cricket.
He was appointed the bowling coach for the Pakistan team in March 2006. He was also the bowling coach for the Sunrisers Hyderabad franchise in the IPL 2013 season. Waqar was also a commentator on various channels. Since September 2019, he has been serving as Pakistan’s head coach. This is his fourth stint as Pakistan’s head coach.
Younis was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in December 2013. He was also nicknamed ‘the toe-crusher’ for his lethal yorkers.
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