Have no ego problems working under Misbah, says Waqar

Pakistan bowling coach Waqar Younis has made it clear that he had no ego problems working under Misbah who is head coach and chief selector and didn’t agree with the assumption that big players could not be big coaches because of big egos.

"No, I don't think that is right because they are examples of big players becoming successful coaches for example Justin Langer, Gary Kirsten, Andy Flower etc."

He said he had learnt from his past experiences and had no ego issues with anyone. "I am experienced and mature enough to know where my boundaries lie in the team and what is my job so they are no problems.”

Cricket behind closed doors

He said he was not in favour of cricket resuming before empty stadiums amid the COVID-19 pandemic as he feels the desperate plan would end up creating more problems while the world battles a worsening health crisis.

During a video conference with journalists on Monday, Waqar said there shouldn't be any cricket at the moment. "No I don't agree with this suggestion that cricket activities should resume soon even before empty stadiums," he said.

Some former cricket stars and officials of cricket boards have said that the game can resume slowly and matches can be held in front of empty stadiums with the proper precautions in place for teams, officials and other ground staff.

"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," the former fast bowler said. "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," he added.

T20 World Cup

Waqar also made it clear that he was very keen to see the T20 World Cup held this year in Australia even if slightly delayed.

"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 the team," he said. "I would like to be the part of a management where we can win a major title," he added.

Corona Tiger

Waqar said he is ready to become a part of Prime Minister Imran Khan's Corona Tiger Relief Force, as country fights with deadly pandemic.

The Burewala Express also commented on Azhar Mahmood’s statement regarding Hasan Ali's injury, said: “As far as I know, I don't think any such thing (injury from excessive gym work) happened. Hasan Ali was injured while bowling. I don't think we need to panic over his injury because fast-bowlers tend to get injured. I remember Wasim Akram missing a major chunk of the year, during the 1990s, due to groin injury. I also suffered major back injury. These injuries show your character and we just need to stay strong and positive. I think he [Hasan Ali] will be fit to play soon."

He also brushed aside allegations regarding regional bias in Pakistan cricket saying that it hurts to see people come up with such statements about him with regards to preferring players from Rawalpindi and other areas of Punjab.

“I have played cricket for almost 25 years and I have never thought about such a thing. I coached Pakistan for four years and during that time I tried to pick the best players for the betterment of our cricket."

He also questioned the use of social media by Pakistan players without naming any particular player. “These days cricketers are insecure and they use social media as a tool to showcase their reservations which makes me extremely unhappy," he said.