Why Waqar Younis had thankless task coaching Pakistan

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  • Waqar Younis was lethal as Pakistan's opening bowler

    The whispers had been there and the writing was clearly on the wall, with enough hints being dropped by the Pakistan Cricket Board management about what was to come; in a sense Waqar Younis’ unceremonious exit ahead of the expiry of his two-year contract was expected, though it was likely accelerated by the back-to-back debacles during the Asia Cup and 2016 World Twenty20 tournament.

    Hounded by some members of the much-reviled elements of the Pakistan media and actively encouraged by the powers-that-be, Waqar’s second spell as the head coach of Pakistan duly came to an end on April 4. The resignation, made under duress, was a culmination of a tenure that began with much hope nearly two years ago but ended in what can only be classed as a major disappointment for one of Pakistan’s top former cricketers.

    A THANKLESS TASK

    Known for his legendary fast-bowling partnership with Wasim Akram, the ‘Burewala Express’ was responsible for a plethora of wickets and many a bruised toe as he went about his job with demonic calm as a player, collecting 789 international wickets – including the scalps of some of the finest batsmen of those times.

    Waqar then turned his skills towards a more demanding and, as he would later realise, a thankless task – trying to coach a bunch of extremely talented but unpredictable individuals, the Pakistan cricket team. Waqar took on the challenge with great grace but the events of the English summer in 2010 laid waste to his enthusiasm. Fate still had stiffer trials in store for Waqar as he discovered when Pakistan wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider went missing from the team hotel during a series against South Africa in Dubai.

    Possibly brow-beaten by the stress of the job, Waqar said farewell to the team in 2011, citing ‘personal’ reasons, but with the departure of Dav Whatmore in 2014, he returned as head coach. By that time, the Pakistan Test team had become more settled with Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan leading from the front and the UAE established as a fertile battle-ground for the Pakistan team.

    LIMITING FACTORS

    While Test victories were becoming common for Pakistan, the situation in the limited overs formats was far from satisfactory. Waqar was also getting frustrated and disillusioned by the apparent lack of consistency in team selection and the high-handedness of the selectors in picking players without his approval.

    It was an open secret that Waqar’s position was being undermined by the inclusion of players who had clear issues with his personality or were completely unsuitable for the shorter formats of the game. The Younis Khan selection for the 2015 World Cup, done under intense media pressure, and the same player’s inclusion for the 2015 ODI series against England, exemplify this.

    Whilst he may have taken on the best in the trade in his bowling days, Waqar was finding it tough to deal with a culture where nepotism and skulduggery were the order of the day.

    To many observers, Waqar’s attitude towards some players such as Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad appeared to be unjustified given the hype surrounding their respective talents, but it was clear that as time moved on and with every failure, the Pakistan head coach was slowly losing his patience with the prima donna behaviour of some players, as well as the outrageous decision making by selectors.

    WORSHIPPING A FALSE IDOL

    The Pakistan Super League (PSL) took centre stage for a few weeks and while the nation and a few PCB officials celebrated Pakistan’s answer to the Indian Premier League (IPL), Waqar looked in horror as the hard work of his coaching staff was thrown to the wind as a number of players used the tournament as an all-expense paid holiday to the UAE, paying lip-service to the carefully crafted development plans for each of the Pakistan players.

    The blind quest for revenues and adulation by the masses may have made the PSL a successful tournament but with the approaching 2016 World Twenty20, Waqar knew that the PSL was nothing short of a disaster in terms of preparation.

    More pain was in store for the Pakistan head coach with the inclusion of Khurram Manzoor for the Asia Cup T20 tournament. A move which could only be described as farcical in nature resulted in the return of Ahmed Shehzad, much to the amazement of a bewildered head coach.

    What followed in the World Twenty20 has been well documented but what also came to light, thanks to internally leaked reports, was the pattern of isolation and non-cooperation by the PCB management towards Waqar. This episode also led to the swift end to Waqar’s reign as all and sundryin the Pakistan media and PCB took public pot-shots at him. The leaking of his confidential report to the PCB was certainly not appreciated by a despondent Waqar.

    He may not have had the man-management skills of Imran Khan or the silken tongue and fatherly presence of the late Bob Woolmer, but Waqar does leave his position with his head held high.

    Under his watch, the Pakistan Test team has become a formidable force in Asia and a settled unit, cohesive on and off the field and a different animal to the limited overs Pakistan teams. Perhaps the biggest testament to any Pakistan team coach is the fact that this tenure was as conspiracy/controversy free as can be humanly achieved in such circumstances.

    In his words, he ends this tenure with the team he loves with a ‘heavy heart’ but Waqar Younis’ parting gift to the nation and his employer is a set of recommendations to improve the future of the game in Pakistan. This is a gift to the PCB which should be received with an open mind and implemented as soon as possible. Hopefully the Pakistan cricket authorities focus on the message instead of shooting the messenger.

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