“I want to earn the same respect and admiration which I had earlier as a player of national team, Pakistan cricket team coach Waqar Younis said.
Talking to media persons, Waqar said: “As a coach, I am giving the same commitment like I did when I was a player. The intensity and hunger has not gone down.”
“As a coach of the Pakistan cricket team, I want to earn the same respect and appreciation as I earned during my playing days. Whenever I leave my position, I would like to do it with my head held high.”
Despite all the bad phase that Pakistan cricket is going through, Waqar is upbeat that his players are capable of surprising everyone. He said: “People say we are a young team and we have no senior players or a true leader. However, they forget that young players played a key role in the 1992 World Cup. They also went on to become great players in Pakistan cricket history.”
He added: “My job is to help the youngsters adapt to the conditions and pressure of international cricket and make them perform well. I am trying my best to use my experience and exposure for the benefit of the team.”
With the team preparing for the World Cup, Waqar accepted that his main concern is keeping the players fit. “There are few fitness issues with Misbah-ul-Haq, Wahab Riaz and Khurrum Manzoor but it is not serious. With World Cup approaching, it’s a player’s responsibility to be match fit,” said Waqar.
Waqar also accepted that under Javed Miandad’s guidance during the national camp in Lahore players have become more technically sound.
“I am someone who is trying to give the same commitment and responsibility to the team as coach like I did as player. I want to leave my coaching position with the ,” the former Test captain and fast bowler saidWaqar, who was named head coach of the team in place of Intikhab Alam this year after a disastrous tour of Australia, was also confident that the present Pakistani team was capable of surprising everyone and silencing the critics in the upcoming tour of New Zealand and in the 2011 World Cup.
“There is talk about the team being without some of its leading and senior players and how it will impact our performance in the World Cup. People forget that when Imran Khan led Pakistan to the 1992 World Cup, young players in that team played a pivotal role in the success and went on to become star performers for Pakistan.
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