"You are the best coach I have got so far" - Shaheen Afridi hails Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq
Pakistan’s left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi has lavished praise on former national coaches Waqar Younis and Misbah-ul-Haq.
While he thanked former captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Afridi went one step further with Waqar, describing the legendary fast bowler as the best coach he has worked with so far in his career.
Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis resigned as head coach and bowling coach respectively earlier this month, on the same day when Pakistan announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup. The exits coincided with Ramiz Raja taking over as new PCB chairman.
On Thursday, Afridi took to his Twitter account to post a message of gratitude for both the former Pakistan coaches. Sharing an image featuring both Misbah-ul-Haq and Waqar Younis with Afridi, the fast bowler wrote:
"Thank you @captainmisbahpk for your services as the head coach of Pakistan. @waqyounis99 bhai, you are the best coach I have got so far. Thank you for teaching me with patience and love. I am grateful to you for those precious lessons. #Teacher #Respect."
Responding to Afridi’s tweet, Waqar Younis described the Pakistani seamer as a champion and a fighter.
"Thank you @iShaheenAfridi. You are a champion. Always be the fighter you are. Your aggression, competitive nature and love for the game makes you a complete package. May you continue to shine for Pakistan. No one would be happier than me if I see you touching the sky #TheEagle," Waqar Younis wrote in his reply to Afridi.
Releasing a statement over his resignation, Misbah-ul-Haq said that constantly living in bio-bubbles and staying away from family for a long duration had taken a toll on him.
On the other hand, Waqar Younis stated that since he started working with Misbah-ul-Haq, it was only fair that the two walked away together.
Thank you @iShaheenAfridi. You are a champion. Always be the fighter you are. Your aggression, competitive nature and love for the game makes you a complete package. May you continue to shine for Pakistan 🇵🇰.No one would be happier than me if I see you touching the sky #TheEagle twitter.com/ishaheenafridi…
"Before we got sacked, we decided to resign ourselves" - Waqar Younis
Speaking for the first time since his resignation, Waqar Younis, on Thursday, said that he and Misbah-ul-Haq decided to quit before they were sacked.
"I had no justification to stay on (as bowling coach) when Misbah resigned. Before we got sacked, we decided to resign ourselves," Waqar Younis was quoted as saying in Jang, as per a report in Geo.tv.
The 49-year-old rubbished all claims of him having a hand in team selection.
"I never had any role in selecting the team. People always speculated that I had a role in deciding who plays and who doesn't," Waqar Younis clarified.
Waqar Younis also had good things to say about Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad, and described the players as talented individuals.
"I am not in a position, at the moment, to criticise anyone. Shoaib Malik is the fittest athlete [in Pakistan cricket] at the moment while Azam Khan has a lot of talent."
Lights 💡
Camera 📸
Action 🎬
BTS of the broadcast photoshoot for #PAKvNZ😍
#HarHaalMainCricket | #HoRahaHai https://t.co/yUCqzR5AYB
Meanwhile, addressing his first press conference since taking over as PCB chairman a few days back, Ramiz Raja named Matthew Hayden and Vernon Philander as Pakistan’s coaches for the T20 World Cup.
A head coach to replace Misbah is likely to be announced soon.