Kamran Akmal: Waqar was a failure as coach
No stranger to controversy Pakistan international Kamran Akmal has delivered an explosive interview in which he slammed former coach Waqar Younis.
Kamran feels that Waqar’s desire to experiment caused Pakistan to regress unnecessarily with the best team not getting out on the park.
Pakistani publication DAWN quote Kamran as saying: “With due respect, Waqar was a failure as coach and he caused lot of damage to Pakistan cricket. In his enthusiasm to experiment and sideline established players, he put the national team back by two to three years.
Waqar had two stints in charge of the Pakistan with the second ending after the team’s abject failure at the World T20 in India in 2016.
Kamran is the first player to openly speak against Waqar but he claims that there were a number of players who had issues with the former fast bowler.
He went on: “I don’t know the reasons but Waqar certainly had issues with some players. He had no plans on how to take Pakistan forward. An example was when he went to the 2015 World Cup and asked Younis Khan to open the innings and then sidelined Sarfraz Ahmed until late in the tournament.”
The wicketkeeper batsman feels that Waqar took actions that caused disruptions within the team.
He added: “I can remember Umar Akmal scored a hundred in an Asia Cup match and in the next game he was batting behind Shahid Afridi and others. Waqar no doubt was a great player for Pakistan but as a coach he was a total failure.
“He took six to seven new players to Bangladesh after the World Cup and the result was we lost both the one-day and T20 series for the first time against them.”
ALSO READ: Arthur hopes for an end to Pakistan exile
Kamran painted Waqar as a hard trainer who did little to help the team improve their skills.
He griped: “I have played under different coaches including Bob Woolmer and I can say they used to plan and they used to create a rapport with the players. Waqar insisted on training hard all the time and not having the players also focus on their skills and cricket development was damaging to the team.”
Chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Mickey Arthur recalled Kamran for the limited overs section of the tour to the West Indies earlier this year, despite playing all three matches he was not included in the squad that went on to win the ICC Chmapions Trophy.
Latest
-
News
England Women wrap up 4-1 series victory in New Zealand
Heather Knight top-scored with 35 in England’s chase of 137.
-
England
England will not adopt negative approach after humbling in India – Zak Crawley
England will aim to get ‘Bazball’ back on track this summer against West Indies and Pakistan.
-
Australia
On this day in 2018: Australian trio banned after ball-tampering saga
The trio were handed their punishments on March 28, 2018.
-
County Cricket
Surrey stars eager to help Alec Stewart sign off with more silverware
Stewart has guided Surrey to three County Championship wins during his decade in charge.
-
Women's Cricket
Maia Bouchier smashes 91 as England Women seal T20 series victory
England made 177 for three and then restricted New Zealand to 130 for seven.
-
County Cricket
Yorkshire boosted by Harry Brook and Joe Root’s early-season availability
Both players are not at the Indian Premier League.
-
England
Ollie Pope ‘itching’ to get back scoring runs after ‘frustrating’ tour of India
The England vice-captain hit a superb 196 in Hyderabad, but averaged only 14.75 in the next four Tests of the India series.
-
Women's Cricket
Ellyse Perry says Ashes Test at MCG ‘amazing’ but unsure about four-day return
Australia will host England at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in the Women’s Ashes early next year.
-
County Cricket
Harry Brook set to return for start of Yorkshire’s County Championship campaign
Brook withdrew from England’s Test tour of India in January due to personal reasons.
-
England
England spinner Tom Hartley expects his exploits in India to be ‘life changing’
Hartley’s second-innings haul of seven for 62 in Hyderabad delivered one England’s greatest ever overseas victories.