‘Waqar Younis played for India till 2008’: ICC makes blunder on YouTube

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has made a blunder on its official YouTube channel after Pakistan’s former ace fast-bowler Waqar Younis was shown as an Indian cricketer on one of its video thumbnails.

Waqar, who is part of ICC Hall of Fame, was shown as an Indian cricketer who played cricket till 2008. It must be noted that Waqar, who is the current bowling coach of Pakistan national team, retired from all forms of cricket in 2003.

Great work @ICC pic.twitter.com/PvnsQgdXeQ

— Dennis Pakola (@DennisCricket_) May 24, 2021

Nicknamed ‘The Burewala Express’, Waqar is famously known as one half of ‘The Two Ws’ – a moniker for the fast bowling pair of Wasim Akram and Waqar. A famed exponent of reverse swing, he claimed 373 wickets from 87 Tests and 416 scalps from 262 One-Day Internationals.

The 42-year-old, who was born in Vehari, Punjab, also led his country in 17 Tests and 62 ODIs. In a first-class career spanning over a decade, he snared 956 wickets from 228 matches with a best of 8-17.

Waqar’s Test figures bear ample testimony to his brilliance – he registered 22 hauls of five wickets or more in an innings, and, on five occasions, took 10 wickets or more in a match.

His feats in limited-overs cricket were no less impressive. He remains to date the only bowler to take five wickets in an innings in three consecutive ODIs (On November 4, 6 and 9, 1990). He was also the fastest to the milestone of 400 wickets in ODIs.

He was a member of the Pakistan team that reached the quarter-final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 1996 and the final of the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999, and he captained his country in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2003.

The story includes input from ICC.