Published: Mar 07, 2016, 05:04 PM (IST)
Edited: Mar 07, 2016, 05:50 PM (IST)
Pakistan have been known to produce some bowling greats. The performance of Mohammad Aamer in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2016 seems to have to have impressed most including Virat Kohli, Wasim Akram and VVS Laxman. But the Head coach of Pakistan, Waqar Younis, seemed to be the happiest of the lot. In his exclusive interview with Times of India, Waqar spoke about various issues including his take on the wickets in Bangladesh, positives to be taken from the Asia Cup 2016, Aamer’s performance in the tournament, management of fast bowlers, and the bowling greats during his time as well as current best bowlers in the game. READ: Asia Cup 2016: Mohammad Aamer’s performance against India outstanding, says Waqar Younis
Asked whether he was surprised by the wickets which assisted pacers in Bangladesh during the recent Asia Cup, Waqar said, “I wouldn’t say surprised, but it was a good test for the batsmen from all teams since bowlers did have a say in the proceedings. Pitches such as these make the contest more interesting. Generally in T20s, we have seen batsmen taking charge, but games in the Asia Cup did provide a good test between bat and ball.” READ: Pakistan have best pace bowling attack in the world, says Azhar Mahmood
He went on to elaborate on the performance of Pakistan’s bowling attack. “We bowled our hearts out, and we have one of the finest bowling line-ups in the business. While the three left-arm pacers – Mohammad Aamer, Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Irfan – bowled well, the others such as Mohammad Sami complemented them well,” he said.
Waqar was all praise for comeback-boy Aamer. “He has been magnificent with the way he has handled rough comments made about him by a section of the crowd during a game at Wellington. Amir is a changed man. All he wants to do is go out on the cricket field, express himself and win matches for Pakistan. I didn’t have any issues with Amir making a comeback. He committed a mistake, served the punishment, and has now come back,” Waqar explained.
Waqar shed light on the processes that go behind the fitness of bowlers these days. “Today, you have a host of Level 3 and Level 4 coaches giving a lot of importance on what needs to be done so that the bowler remains in the best of shape. However, I have always been someone who believed in making the bowler play with his body, allow him to know how his body functions and what is best suited for him,” he said.
When asked about his favourite bowling contemporaries, he said, “During my time, Malcolm Marshall and Glenn McGrath were some of the best I saw. They were able to rattle the batsmen and single-handedly turned matches in their sides’ favour. Apart from them, Wasim Akram was outstanding and did amazingly well for Pakistan. Currently, Dale Steyn is the man for all conditions. He tests the batsmen and never gives up. James Anderson has done the job for England for a long time.”
“I would rate Zaheer Khan too very highly since he bowled well with both the new and old ball. Among the latest bowlers, Jasprit Bumrah looks quite promising for India.What has impressed me about him is his ability to bowl yorkers,” he concluded.
