Waqar Younis hopes of a new beginning for Pakistan cricket
Pakistan has finally broken the 15-year-long jinx when they finally defeated Australia in a test match in front of a jam-packed stadium at Leeds on Saturday. Pakistan won the thrilling encounter courtesy of some brilliant swing bowling by Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer. The news comes as a breath of fresh air since Australia had completely dominated and decimated Pakistan in test format of the game for the last one and half decade.
Pakistan and Australia were almost neck and neck till 1995 when Pakistan had won a total of 11 test matches while Australia had won 14 test matches in head-to-head encounters. Since that year, it has been all Australia.
However, things took a dramatic turn in Leeds where a spirited Pakistani team was out to prove a point. The second test match of MCC Spirit of Cricket Series proved just that. The Day 4 equation of Pakistan only requiring 40 runs to win with seven wickets in hand was a shocker to many. It looked to be an easy job but Pakistan had to sweat against some quality Australian bowling on the fourth day. Pakistan eventually came out as the victorious team which was being lead by Salman Butt, who was captaining the team in his first test match. Meanwhile, Coach Waqar Younis was coaching in his second test match as well. An inexperienced as a whole finally defeated http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 in a convincing victory which has surely come as a morale booster for this young Pakistani squad. Coach Waqar Younis thinks that it’s a new beginning for Pakistan cricket who predicted a bright future of his young side. The team had entered this test series without the services of their prime test batsmen Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, who had served as the back bone for Pakistan’s batting line in the last few years. Both batsmen were out of the test squad because of different controversies. A heavy responsibility was thrown on the shoulders of debutants Azhar Ali and Umar Amin. But they sure lived up to all expectations. Ali was influential in Pakistan’s test victory since he scored a sensible fifty in the second innings of second test match. It was Azhar Ali and Imran Farhat’s 110 run partnership that allowed Pakistan to cross the line against Australia.
Waqar said that the victory will increase the confidence of the Pakistani team and his young guns will help achieve greater laurels in the longer format of the game. Waqar said, "It's fantastic to beat Australia, I think this is a new beginning for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/A-Young-c41367 team and let's hope this bunch of youngsters will take Pakistan cricket a long way."
Waqar Younis was part of the test squad that last won a test match against Australia in 1995 in Sydney. As a result, the coach definitely knew the importance of this win. The match started with Pakistan shocking everyone when they got Australia bowled out on a paltry total of 88 runs. This was Australia’s lowest total in the last 26 years where Pakistani bowlers surprising everyone with their class and talent. The situation was not an ideal one with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Shahid-Afridi-c2482 just retired after losing the first test match of the series against Australia. Salman Butt, the vice captain of the team, stood up to the occasion and took over the role with immense control and strategy. The Pakistani bowling attack proved its worth as Australia’s strong batting line up had no answers to some top quality swing bowling by Mohammad Aamer and Mohammad Asif.
"Getting Australia out for 88 and then taking a first innings lead was the turning point, Youth is all exuberance and these players showed the will to do well, but all praise aside, the fans will have to be patient as this team will learn with the passage of time and experience." Waqar said.
Waqar Younis, who is the head coach of Pakistan’s national team, made his presence felt when a confident bowling attack took to the pitch. Waqar himself was a proven bowler and has inculcated some of his expertise into the current bowling attack. Younis took 373 test wickets and over 400 ODI wickets as a fast bowler.
Pakistan will now play a four match test series against England from the 29th of July. Prior to start of the second test match, media reports were suggesting that Mohammad Yousuf will most likely make a comeback against England. However, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755’s recent victory against Australia has changed the situation with Salman Butt backing his young guns for a longer test run. He said, "I hope they continue to learn and that this win doesn't get into their heads. We have to work harder because we know we will make mistakes. They are pretty young, they are raw. We have to own them when they make mistakes. This is important to build a side.”
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