Not stepping down would have led to a bigger problem: Waqar Younis

Former Pakistan pacer Waqar Younis has opened up about stepping down as the Men in Green’s bowling coach with the T20 World Cup just around the corner.

While speaking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Waqar said that resigning was a wise thing to do after the recent changes in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

“There were two to three reasons behind my decision. Obviously, spending time with family was one of them which was becoming difficult due to Covid-19,” said Younis. “Also, after the appointment of new PCB chairman [Ramiz Raja], the wise thing was to reign because it seemed as if he [Raja] wanted to bring a new setup. So, when Misbah resigned, I decided to follow suit.”

“If we would not have taken this decision, a bigger problem would have been created. There could have been a controversy. I have enough experience to understand the cricket board and its history. When a new setup takes over, they have their own way of doing things and taking all of that into account it was a sensible thing to do,” he added.

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He also backed Pakistan to do well in the mega event, which starts next month.

“World Cup is a small tournament and if your players are in form and luck favours you, the team can go all the way. Our bowling can defend any total and, if we can fix some of the issues in our batting, this team has the potential to go all the way,” he said.

Younis also urged Pakistan to play positive cricket during the high-profile clash against arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup.

“If the team plays to their potential, I think they will challenge the Indian team and even beat them. They should play positive cricket and believe that they can beat India,” he concluded.