HAPPY BIRTHDAY WAQAR YOUNIS: Waqar Younis was perhaps destined to achieve greatness. Legendary Pakistan skipper Imran Khan first saw a young Waqar while he was bowling in a televised local match. Khan immediately took Waqar under his tutelage and gave him his ODI and Test debut.
Waqar went on to become one of the game’s greatest fast bowlers and formed a menacing combination with Wasim Akram. He finished with 416 ODI wickets – the third-highest overall. Waqar also took 373 Test scalps. Waqar’s ability to reverse swing the ball at a good pace could rile up even the premier batters of the world.
Fondly known as ‘The Burewala Express’, Waqar was famous for his fast and long run-up. The infallible Waqar reserved his best for arch-rival India. On his 50th birthday today, November 16, let us take a look at some of his finest spells against India.
4/80 in 1st Test, India tour of Pakistan (Karachi, 1989)
On his Test debut, Waqar Younis proved that he belonged in international cricket. Waqar picked up four wickets in India’s first innings which included the wicket of Sachin Tendulkar who was also making his Test debut in this match. While the match ended in a draw, Waqar showed glimpses of his greatness in his first Test match itself.
5/31 in 4th ODI, Coca-Cola Cup (Sharjah, 2000)
Waqar Younis produced a match-winning spell in this crucial match of the Coca-Cola Cup. While chasing a daunting target of 273 runs, Indian batters couldn’t handle the pace of Waqar. After dismissing skipper Sourav Ganguly in the fourth over, Waqar ran through the Indian middle order and ended up with figures of 5/31. Waqar propelled his team to an emphatic victory.
4/42 in 3rd ODI, Austral-Asia Cup (Sharjah, 1990)
Pakistan successfully defended a below-par total of 235 due to Waqar Younis’ magical spell of 4/42. Waqar took the important wickets of Navjot Sidhu, Kapil Dev and Ravi Shastri to hamper India.
3/21 in 2nd ODI, India tour of Pakistan (Gujranwala, 1989)
After the match was reduced to 16 overs per side, Pakistan put up a competitive total of 87 runs. Waqar Younis dismissed a dangerous-looking Kris Srikkanth early in the innings to put pressure on India. Waqar then picked up the wickets of Sachin Tendulkar and Ravi Shastri to tilt the match in India’s favour. Skipper Imran Khan then cleaned up the tail as Pakistan clinched an impressive win by 7 runs.
3/44 in 4th ODI, Sharjah Cup (Sharjah, 1996)
Sachin Tendulkar went on a rampage in this match and notched up a brilliant century. While all the Pakistani bowlers were being smashed, Waqar Younis was the only bowler who looked effective. He didn’t leak too many runs and eventually dismissed Tendulkar on 118. Despite the exploits of Waqar, India put up 305 runs on the board. Pakistan went on to lose the match, but Waqar again impressed everyone by giving away only 44 runs and taking three wickets.
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