So apparently the much touted and awaited return to working in tandem for two of the biggest legends of Pakistani sports, Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis, is now officially off the table. The fast bowling duo, the third most prolific in all of Test history in terms of wickets taken in matches played together, was supposed to work together for the latest PSL franchise Multan Sultans.
Waqar, who hails from Burewala, was supposed to be hired as the head coach, after Wasim had been roped in as the director of cricket operations. However, Sultans, that are owned by Schon Group, haven’t reached any agreement with Waqar.
“I have been in discussions with them but sadly we didn’t reach a final agreement,” Waqar told ESPN Cricinfo. “They [Multan owners] are good people and I was delighted to have an offer mainly because the idea of reuniting with Wasim Akram was fascinating. Both of us working for the same cause of cricket for the same team would have been great. I wish Wasim bhai very good luck with his plans to form his own team.”
Earlier Waqar had claimed on Geo Sports that Wasim Akram was the reason why he wasn’t taken on board by Multan Sultans.
“Wasim bhai will make whatever team they put together and probably I don’t come in that plan... I have probably never been in his plans,” said Waqar.
“I always wanted to be part of Multan because it’s linked with where I’m from, the city and region of South Punjab… so it’s unfortunate.”
While both Wasim and Waqar argue that it brought the best out of them, the mutual hostility marred their relations, and Pakistan cricket for much of the 1990s. They were at the peak of their powers, and their performances on the field showed that, but the Wasim-Waqar feuds might have created one of the greatest sporting partnerships of all time, founded upon disunity within the Pakistani squad.
Many argue that in the 1990s Pakistan perhaps saw the peak of their powers, but it was the constant infighting that prevented the team from truly dominating the sport after the 1992 World Cup like Australia did following the 1999 triumph, wherein they humbled a Wasim-led Pakistan in the final, that had Waqar Younis benched on the reserves.
As deadly as their bowling duopoly was, it’s well known that Wasim and Waqar went through longest of spells without even talking to each other. That one or the other was the captain during most of their playing careers only adds to the impact their antagonism for one another would have had.
While Waqar might not have merited a place in the 1999 World Cup side considering how well Shoaib Akhtar was playing, a classic example of the rivalry getting the better of Wasim Akram the captain came at Hobart in 1999, when Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer took the second Test of the three-match series away from Pakistan, which eventually culminated in a whitewash.
In the fourth innings when Australia chased down over 360, Waqar was only given 11 out of 114 overs by Wasim. That chase not only swung the Test series in Australia’s favour it gave them control over the status as the best side in the world in all formats, which Wasim Akram acknowledged in those very words after Pakistan lost the ODI tri-series final a month after the Test clean sweep.
There are many other examples of Waqar-Wasim spats and are well documented as well. But one would have hoped that the issues of the cricketing days would now be long gone, considering both players are now enjoying separate post-retirement careers and are universally acknowledged as the sport’s all-time legends.
“It was ugly those days but those days we were younger and we didn’t know much, now [we are] probably wiser and we want to improve things,” Waqar said in an interview last year.
Apparently not, Waqar.
Even earlier in February this year Wasim and Waqar got into an ugly quarrel on Twitter after the former had claimed that latter wanted to deliberately get out to prevent Anil Kumble’s 10 wickets in an innings in 1999. Waqar categorically denied that, saying “age is catching up with Wasim bhai”, with Akram later responding with how he’ll “beat Waqar on the age road” every time.
And now we have the latest episode in PSL, one of the best things to have happened to Pakistan cricket in ages.
It would have been massive to see the two together, behind the latest PSL franchise and make the tournament even bigger next season. But for Wasim and Waqar their rivalry has been bigger than anything that Pakistan and world cricket might have offered them.
Waqar, who hails from Burewala, was supposed to be hired as the head coach, after Wasim had been roped in as the director of cricket operations. However, Sultans, that are owned by Schon Group, haven’t reached any agreement with Waqar.
“I have been in discussions with them but sadly we didn’t reach a final agreement,” Waqar told ESPN Cricinfo. “They [Multan owners] are good people and I was delighted to have an offer mainly because the idea of reuniting with Wasim Akram was fascinating. Both of us working for the same cause of cricket for the same team would have been great. I wish Wasim bhai very good luck with his plans to form his own team.”
Earlier Waqar had claimed on Geo Sports that Wasim Akram was the reason why he wasn’t taken on board by Multan Sultans.
“Wasim bhai will make whatever team they put together and probably I don’t come in that plan... I have probably never been in his plans,” said Waqar.
“I always wanted to be part of Multan because it’s linked with where I’m from, the city and region of South Punjab… so it’s unfortunate.”
While both Wasim and Waqar argue that it brought the best out of them, the mutual hostility marred their relations, and Pakistan cricket for much of the 1990s. They were at the peak of their powers, and their performances on the field showed that, but the Wasim-Waqar feuds might have created one of the greatest sporting partnerships of all time, founded upon disunity within the Pakistani squad.
Many argue that in the 1990s Pakistan perhaps saw the peak of their powers, but it was the constant infighting that prevented the team from truly dominating the sport after the 1992 World Cup like Australia did following the 1999 triumph, wherein they humbled a Wasim-led Pakistan in the final, that had Waqar Younis benched on the reserves.
As deadly as their bowling duopoly was, it’s well known that Wasim and Waqar went through longest of spells without even talking to each other. That one or the other was the captain during most of their playing careers only adds to the impact their antagonism for one another would have had.
While Waqar might not have merited a place in the 1999 World Cup side considering how well Shoaib Akhtar was playing, a classic example of the rivalry getting the better of Wasim Akram the captain came at Hobart in 1999, when Adam Gilchrist and Justin Langer took the second Test of the three-match series away from Pakistan, which eventually culminated in a whitewash.
In the fourth innings when Australia chased down over 360, Waqar was only given 11 out of 114 overs by Wasim. That chase not only swung the Test series in Australia’s favour it gave them control over the status as the best side in the world in all formats, which Wasim Akram acknowledged in those very words after Pakistan lost the ODI tri-series final a month after the Test clean sweep.
It would've been massive to see Wasim and Waqar working in tandem for Multan Sultans and making PSL even bigger next season
There are many other examples of Waqar-Wasim spats and are well documented as well. But one would have hoped that the issues of the cricketing days would now be long gone, considering both players are now enjoying separate post-retirement careers and are universally acknowledged as the sport’s all-time legends.
“It was ugly those days but those days we were younger and we didn’t know much, now [we are] probably wiser and we want to improve things,” Waqar said in an interview last year.
Apparently not, Waqar.
Even earlier in February this year Wasim and Waqar got into an ugly quarrel on Twitter after the former had claimed that latter wanted to deliberately get out to prevent Anil Kumble’s 10 wickets in an innings in 1999. Waqar categorically denied that, saying “age is catching up with Wasim bhai”, with Akram later responding with how he’ll “beat Waqar on the age road” every time.
And now we have the latest episode in PSL, one of the best things to have happened to Pakistan cricket in ages.
It would have been massive to see the two together, behind the latest PSL franchise and make the tournament even bigger next season. But for Wasim and Waqar their rivalry has been bigger than anything that Pakistan and world cricket might have offered them.