ICC World Cup 2019 | Foolish to write off Pakistan, says Waqar Younis

Pakistan are going through a rough phase and are in the middle of their worst run in ODIs with 11 back to back losses. They lost against Afghanistan too in the warm-up match and succumbed to a heavy defeat against West Indies in their World Cup opener, where they were all out for 105. However, Waqar Younis is still upbeat about Pakistan’s chances in the ten nation tournament.

“You have to remember that this World Cup is a very long tournament. There is a lot of cricket still to be played and it would be foolish to write off this Pakistan side after their defeat to the West Indies,” he said, reported ICC.

Andre Russell is known for his big hitting abilities but he decimated the Pakistan batsmen with his fiery bouncers. The all-rounder bowled three overs, of which one was a maiden, and returned figures of four for two. He bowled bouncers at 145 kmph and showed way for the other West Indian bowlers. Pakistan batsmen were left clueless after the short ball onslaught, as pointed out by the former captain.

“You have to give credit to the West Indies for the way they used the short ball to pepper the Pakistani batsmen. Andre Russell in particular was outstanding with those first three overs that he bowled at the top of the order,” expressed the 47-year-old.

“He may have only taken a couple of wickets, but it was his short-pitched barrage that showed the way for the rest of their attack. But Pakistan didn’t seem to have answer when it came down to it,” he added.

The former coach also recalled his nation's first match of the 1992 World Cup. Even back then, they lost to West Indies by ten wickets but went on to win the showpiece event. However, he also maintained that the team cannot dwell on the past.

“A lot has been said before about Pakistan’s record in the past, the unpredictable nature of this side. They lost heavily in their first game in 1992 and bounced back to win that tournament after all. But we cannot really dwell on what happened 27 years ago. Winning the 2019 tournament is going to take some doing this time around,” recalled the former fast bowler.

The sixth-ranked side will have very less time to turn around their fortunes as they will face the top-ranked England in their next encounter. The pitch at Trent Bridge is also expected to be a belter and Younis reckoned that Pakistan will find it difficult on Monday.

“But it will be difficult for the team to bounce back quickly enough for Monday against England – a team who are on such a high,” he signed off.