Waqar hopes 'team will bounce back' despite demoralising start
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CHRISTCHURCH: Pakistan coach Waqar Younis Wednesday insisted his team would bounce back in the World Cup despite a demoralising defeat against arch-rivals India, a loss he blamed on an inability to handle big-match pressure.
Pakistan succumbed to a 76-run defeat against the defending champions in their first Pool B game in Adelaide on Sunday.
“We can all see what went wrong,” Waqar told reporters. “We didn't play well, India played better than us by building partnerships, probably we took more pressure.
“But we have to realise that it's just the start and there are more games to play and we will come back in the matches ahead.”
Pakistan will look to put things right in their second game in Christchurch on Saturday against the West Indies, who also suffered a shock defeat at the hands of Ireland.
Waqar repeated his team were not amongst the title favourites, a statement which he gave before the departure for New Zealand last month. Then, such pessimism was greeted with severe criticism from former Pakistan players.
“I think it's the same, I back that again, I am not saying that we have become favourites. Of course, saying that releases pressure from players when you are not favourites.
Waqar, who is in his second stint as coach after guiding the team to a semi-final finish in the 2011 World Cup, blamed poor batting for the India loss.
“Unfortunately our batting did not click,” said Waqar, of Pakistan's batting which failed to chase a target of 301, wrapped up for 224.
“A target of 300 runs in Australia and New Zealand is chaseable, this has become the norm, a par total, and we have to chase down 300 in games ahead,” said Waqar.
Pakistan desperately need a win against the West Indies to keep up their chances of a quarter-final place.
“We know the importance of the game so we will try to have a positive frame of mind and do well,” said Waqar, who admitted that experimenting with Younis Khan as an opener had failed.
“The experiment to use Younis wasn't successful,” said Waqar. “It's not too tough to drop a senior player but in a tournament like the World Cup you try to use maximum experience.
“When we used Younis at number three or four he was not scoring runs so as per the requirement we used him as an opener but it didn't work.”
Younis, playing his fourth World Cup, has managed just 73 runs in seven matches with a highest of 25 since the team's arrival in New Zealand last month.
Pakistan have opener Nasir Jamshed waiting in the wings and he is likely to replace Younis, who made just six on Saturday, if the veteran is dropped.
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Comments (65) Closed
Feb 18, 2015 11:08am
Fielding coach Grant Luden already bounced
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Feb 18, 2015 11:34am
Do not drop Younis, let him bat at 4 and he will score runs, without him our middle order is filled with irrational stroke makers who do not guarantee a long stay at the crease. Sarfraz on the other hand must play as well, Umar Akmal is as good as Kamran Akmal dropping crucial catches and doing bugger all in batting.
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Feb 18, 2015 11:47am
Defeated mindset of the coach even before playing any match?
I thought we went their to win. How much do we pay him to demoralize the team?
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Feb 18, 2015 11:49am
Sarfraz and Fawad Alam need to reborn in Punjab.
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Feb 18, 2015 11:51am
Keep dreaming Waqar. We all understand that you want to keep this lucrative job with all the perks. Hence, you have to give out such statements of the team bouncing back. You as a coach are also a dismal failure. Umar Akmal dropped a lolly pop catch and then got out for a duck. He has been a consistant failure since past 2 years. Even the commentators were of the same opinion. You played Yasir Shah who dropped two catches and was thrashed for 60 runs, the highest, without a wicket. Playing Younus as an opener was a big blunder and you are responsible.
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Feb 18, 2015 12:08pm
pakistan playing under pressure.west indies also lost opening match so its important to both teams. both teams are unpredictable so pak west indies match is 50-50 game anybody can win.
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Feb 18, 2015 12:10pm
@Fahim Khan "Sarfraz and Fawad Alam need to reborn in Punjab." Still PCB shall find out their first birth place and select stars like akmal brothers, suhail tanvir , nasir jam shed and Hafeez
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Feb 18, 2015 12:15pm
Misbah shown the maturity and sincerity as a whole he must come to play one down and opener should advised to show some sincerity in their batting..
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Feb 18, 2015 12:22pm
Waqar bhai, let it go, just play clean, no favoritism please, Younes is out of form, just drop him, Put Sarfaraz behind the wickets, Wahab and Yones are liabilities on Pakistan, Let them go and play for their respective departments.
Lets wait we will see your comments after you and Moin reach Pakistan. Good Luck
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Feb 18, 2015 12:38pm
Dont make the mistake of dropping younus . He is an experienced campaigner the only thing went wrong with the younus is captain and coach ask him to open the innings which is very difficult for the player who never open in his carrer . He is a player of spinners and medium pacers in the middle order send him 2 or 3 down he will perform i am sure , if younus comes 2 or 3 down against India when jadeja and ashwin were bowling then he can handle very well to them but unfortunately not happen
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Feb 18, 2015 01:01pm
Pakistan have to make sure yasir shah should play each and every match from here (especially against west indies , south africa, zimbabwe and ireland) because these teams feel comfortable playing and taking charge to faster bowlers when compare to spinners.
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Feb 18, 2015 01:17pm
Get Sarfraz in, for Pakistan's sake!
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Feb 18, 2015 01:24pm
Drop Younus already for God sakes
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Feb 18, 2015 02:02pm
Waqar is right. Our players will perform and shine after the world cup is over!!!
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Feb 18, 2015 02:15pm
Younis Khan cant handle pace and bounce. He is world class when the ball is below his knees and club class when it is above his waist. If world cup were in Sharjah, he would be a contender for Man of the Tournament.
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Feb 18, 2015 02:18pm
@Fahim Khan Maybe their just not good enough ..infact their not good enough.. Fawad Alam is no Saeed Anwar or Javed Miandad..Sarfraz Ahmed is good but he needs time..why do you not realize this..Mohammad Sami was from Karachi how many times does he want a chance? If your not suited the job, your not suited to the job. Sarfraz Ahmed needs to play more cricket before he is chosen.
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Feb 18, 2015 02:44pm
in my humble opinion lets admit that big match pressure got to us vs India as always. Plus let us not say that drop younus, drop akmal or drop yasir shah, it was just one match and if we just evaluate players performances based on it then we will have to drop everyone except for 3 players namely Misbah, Sohail and Wahab, right? Let us support our team and pray that somehow we reach quarterfinals after which you just need momentum in 3 games
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Feb 18, 2015 03:06pm
Pakistan cannot reach quarter finals unless management stick to nepotism. Mind boggling not to play with the full time wicket keeper Sarfraz Ahmed who is a good batsman as well ( much better than old Younus Khan). There is no room for Nasir Jamshed who has totally lost the nick.
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Feb 18, 2015 03:17pm
If they dont stop bickering now, there is another impending disaster in the pipeline on saturday when the lads face W Indies. Team Pakistan just need to keep your focus.HEads Up & Tails Up now, what is done is done!!Cricket is mainly attitude of mind on the day. Pakistan Zindaabad!
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Feb 18, 2015 03:52pm
yes, the team is bouncing back, back and more back! with current situation prevailing,it will keep bouncing more back until the whole team will reach back to Pakistan international airport lahore / karachi.
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Feb 18, 2015 03:55pm
Imran has already said Younus is a must for Pakistan. We need to try him out on all the positions; we have enough matches left. A cricketer of that level deserves experimentation in the world cup. Maybe the secret is to send him after Irfan as a surprise package. If Younus can score his highs of 25s, it would certainly be a surprise and could be match winning in certain circumstances. We also need to support Younus in appealing to ICC to recognize 25s as another milestone like 50s and 100s. Go Pakistan and go Younus. We love when you laugh when you drop a catch or get out on 0. Laughing under pressure and in the midst of defeat is Younus' best suit.
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Feb 18, 2015 04:24pm
@Abdul Malik i agree with all what u said except that yasir shah dropped 2 catches... i am sure u have played cricket and those catches were way to hard for even the best fielder in the world.. yasir shah will prove lethal in upcoming days.. only younis khan should bat at no.4 and sarfarz ahmad should opne and umar akmal should be dropped...
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Feb 18, 2015 05:33pm
Still hope Yonis Khan gets his act together, its still early days in the worldcup. He is unable to cope with the bounce, reflexes were slow in last match. Looked uneasy on the crease. Very ironic behavior from a senior player
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Feb 18, 2015 05:36pm
@Abdul Malik
I totally agree with Abdul Malik...
I have exact same thoughys this coach who is just after his own position and who is really a master in giving excuses.
A total disaster and its shambles when he is experimenting during the biggest tournament.
I guess only prayers might help our team...
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Feb 18, 2015 06:19pm
I am looking forward to the next game. Both sides have been beaten and are badly bruised. It will be a thriller and hard fought game. Irfan needs to show some agression. Being a gentle giant does not help, he needs to get out there like the usual fast bowlers. Believe me, there is a reason why Wasim, Waqar, Aussies and Steyn show some ummph on the pitch. And that does reward them in way of wickets. Its all about piling pressure on the other team. Another thing is field placement, Misbah has not got attacking field, particulatly for spinners. Where are our silly mid on and silly mid off ? Got to have these things sorted.
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Feb 18, 2015 06:52pm
I think this is the weakest Pakistani team which has been sent over to a cricket worldcup on the back of injuries and bans on key players. I hope I am proven wrong but seeing Pakistan's first match against India, I worry that it will be a repeat of cricket WC2003 where we kept waiting and hoping for victories against good teams but they never came. I still remember our last possible chance of making it through to the next round in that WC, where we had to win against Zimbabwe by a big margin. We did not start well in that match either and then rain came in to dash our hopes. My prayers and good wishes with Pakistan team to give some happiness and pleasure to our troubled nation with some big performances in the weeks to come
.. Good Luck
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Feb 18, 2015 06:55pm
We need to give executive privilege to the team management. It is not the first time that somebody is played other than his original position. Majid Khan was not the opener, Rameez was not the opener...had the ball from Younis gloves went wide or dropped short of Dhoni and he went on to score all of us would be saying that what a brilliant move by the management. By the same token had they sit Younis and played Nasir and he failed then all of us would be saying that why did not preferred experience of Younis and his recent form of test matches over completely out of form, inexperience and pathetic fielder Nasir Jamshed.
We need to realize that this is touch and go profession and should appreciate that in spite of chaotic situation in the country our cricketers are still punching above their weight, not many teams could manage that if the home law and order is as bad as it is in Pakistan.
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Feb 18, 2015 07:07pm
I hope u lose lose all matches. That's what a parchi team deserves. And you r the worst coach and were the worst captain
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Feb 18, 2015 07:31pm
Asa, My Pakistani brothers and sisters. we as us Pakistani very emotional with India's cricket match, sometimes reality check is better they have professionalism in there team plus there batsmen play 90% there shots by the merit of the ball.
In Pakistan cricket team, Mr Model BB use to play night cricket in Gulshan e Iqbal Karachi. He is not a cricketer he is money hungry player since early 90's. He has no footwork plus once a hustler always been hustler.
One more thing PCB should look into Finnish player power, Mr chairmen Game is bigger then player.
Pakistan zindabad.
last at
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Feb 18, 2015 08:04pm
put Serfaraz in place of Younus
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Feb 18, 2015 08:10pm
Waqar please take Wasim's input. It will surely benefit the team.
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Feb 18, 2015 08:12pm
@Hamid - Misbah is The Only Hope in the team. I would not touch his spot. Let him come in at the same spot.
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Feb 18, 2015 08:39pm
For next game. Drop Akmal and open with Sarfaraz. Have YK come 1 or 2 down. Rest of the team looked very promising to me and working hard on the field.
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Feb 18, 2015 08:40pm
If the ball touches your hands then it is a catch, no excuse. These guys are paid to perform and should only be compared to the ones who are paid to perform in other teams. Stop comparing them to yourselves, you don't represent the Pakistan team. You are permitted to drop catches. Pakistan team isn't.
Umar Akmal, not only did he drop an easy catch but also gave many runs away. What was he behind the wicket for?
Yunis, he would wait for the ball to come to him, not once did he attack the ball. Gave an extra run for every run they scored! Age has bypassed him, his body can't take it anymore.
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Feb 18, 2015 09:34pm
@Fahim Khan
its hard to admit this, but its seems to be that guys from karachi are left out for no apparent reason. both fawad and sarfraz NEED to be on this team. there should not even be a question of it. horrid team selection
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Feb 18, 2015 09:37pm
I think Waqar is the problem. If you closely look at the picture, he's body language shows it clearly that he feels he is the boss. The fact is that the captain should be the boss, not the coach or selector.
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Feb 18, 2015 09:45pm
For God's sake, please drop Yusuf. If we lose lets get our youngsters valuable experience. Younis is a drag and only good for test matches. Sarfaraz is our best batsman last couple of years. Lets build the future.
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Feb 18, 2015 09:47pm
Waqar does not have traits of a good coach. Pakistan should have stayed with Jeff Lawson to coach the team.
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Feb 18, 2015 10:17pm
@Fahim Khan hahaha. How true.
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Feb 18, 2015 10:25pm
I hope it will not bounce back. It is the only way to get new blood in the team and in management.
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Feb 18, 2015 11:10pm
Team will bounce back after WC. Or they will bounce back to Pakistan before the completion of WC. Thanks Waqar!
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Feb 18, 2015 11:24pm
It is high time to give Wasim Akram a try. He should be made coach after the World Cup to see if he can turn our team's fortunes. Coach should not interfere with the captain and captain should not interfere with coach. I guess in our team Waqar has a say in captains decisions also.
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Feb 18, 2015 11:32pm
younus Khan at 4 misbah at 3 if you wanted to take a punt surely Africa should have opened put Indians on the back foot whatever 20 30 he would have made. I think pal will surprise still now that they have beentotallywritten iff
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Feb 19, 2015 01:10am
@ash Sarfaraz have dropped easy catches and stumping in last few matches and also was not performing with the bat so they had to make the decision to go with umar akmal.
Only change(s) needed Nasir Jamshed inplace of Younis and may be a pacer Rahat vs Ehsan in place of Yasir
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Feb 19, 2015 01:26am
It boggles my mind how people can defend a has been Younis. When you have Sarfraz and Hafeez that have proven time and again that they are more capable. Im not saying they are the best but surely anyone would be better then Younis.
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Feb 19, 2015 02:28am
@Abdul Malik well said!
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Feb 19, 2015 02:29am
When people like Waqar Younis are team coaches then the only thing the team will bounce back from is his stomach - nothing else.
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Feb 19, 2015 02:51am
It almost over and PCB is still unsure of the team!
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Feb 19, 2015 04:28am
Mohsin Khan would have been a much better honest coach.
Waqar is devious and tricky.
Beware PCB.
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Feb 19, 2015 05:06am
Pakistan should stop trying for 6s. The ball gets caught. Some countries have identified this weakness. The ball does not reach over the 6s. 4s are better best for Pakistan.
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Feb 19, 2015 06:45am
How in God's great wide world did they not pick Fawad Alam? And dropping Sarfaraz for a part time keeper Umar? Seriously mate, something is really wrong in your heads.
After Afridi/Misbah's retirement the team would welcome all 4 Akmal brothers back.
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Feb 19, 2015 06:57am
We need to call back immediately all the joy riders from the team including Waqar to improve the teams performance .
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Feb 19, 2015 06:59am
@Fahim Khan I agree to Khan
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Feb 19, 2015 07:02am
@khan better we call Yousuf & Inzamam along with Younis to strengthen the Pakistani batting line !
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Feb 19, 2015 07:39am
Yes, they always 'come back' after suffering from cricket diplomacy.
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Feb 19, 2015 07:57am
Hmmmmm..........blah blah blah blah blah and some more blah blah won't do anything. Just let it be whatever it will be.
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Feb 19, 2015 08:03am
TO,
please do not look back , think ahead and every thing will be OK.
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Feb 19, 2015 08:52am
“When we used Younis at number three or four he was not scoring runs so as per the requirement we used him as an opener but it didn't work.”
Waqar, you are a mental giant. You should be awarded Nobel prize for your logic. When a guy is not performing at number 3 or 4, send him as the opener. That sure works!
I hope Australia, New Zealand and others learn from this genius!
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Feb 19, 2015 09:03am
While Misbah is perhaps the best batsman taking part in WC 2015, I do not understand why he holds himself back till the match is already decided. Is he afraid of the pressure or a newer ball? He must come at No 3 or maximum at 4 and make a difference to the outcome of the match.
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Feb 19, 2015 09:05am
@Fahim Khan I concur with your comment. Sad state of affairs.
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Feb 19, 2015 09:09am
O mera Bhai Jaan that is all fine but please use right players going into a match and also make sure you have a game plan. Indian team played professionally that is what I call executing a plan. And yes Umar is not solution to every problem in the Pakistani team. Do not use him as a wicketkeeper - he comprehensively proved it to all of us thank you Umar. And we get it he is not a wicket keeper.
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Feb 19, 2015 09:09am
@Fahim Khan I agree
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Feb 19, 2015 09:12am
@Abdul Malik Perfect analysis. That dropped catch is unforgivable. Umar should be sidelined for rest of the tournament - he is a "NO OP" How does it work with this performance what do you say to Umar "koi bath nahee yaar next time" :)
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Feb 19, 2015 09:18am
Do not worry just pray Allah will save Pakistan.
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Feb 19, 2015 11:46pm
Waqar, just to let you know, hope is not a strategy.
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