Waqar Younis resigns as Pakistan coach
In a dramatic turn of events, Waqar Younis stepped down as the coach of the Pakistan cricket team only days after he said he wouldn’t jump off a sinking ship. The former cricketer had come under immense criticism for Pakistan’s poor display at the World T20 and the Asia Cup forcing him to resign.
A day after Shahid Afridi stepped down from the captaincy, Waqar Younis followed suit by leaving his post as team coach. "I am resigning from my post today with a heavy heart," wrote the coach in a report submitted to the PCB, reported ToI.
After just three wins from eight games in the past two tournaments, Waqar took potshots at captain Shahid Afridi, who he never saw eye-to-eye with. “We lost to New Zealand, Asia Cup and the World T20 due to poor captaincy. Over several occasions, I had made it clear that Shahid Afridi was not performing with the bat, ball or as a captain but I was not listened to," he said in the report. The legendary swing bowler went on to add how his suggestions were discarded in the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup. "I had made a lot of recommendations after the 2015 World Cup, including sending some boys back to first-class cricket for at least a season so they can regain their hunger for the game and rethink their approach and attitude to play for Pakistan, but no recommendation was implemented," said Waqar.
This was Waqar’s second tenure as coach after coaching the team back in 2010-11. His second tenure started in May 2014 and the contract was for two years.