Hope spot-fixing conviction help cricket in comprehensive run: Waqar

He is dismayed by the conviction of three Pakistan cricketers in the spot-fixing scam but former head coach Waqar Younis hopes it would prove helpful to the game in the long run.

"I hope that the outcome of the trial would prove helpful to cricket in the future and also serve as prevention to other players," Waqar said from Dubai.

The former Test captain, who submissive as coach in September after the Zimbabwe tour due to individual and health reasons, said for him the spot-fixing scandal had been one of the darkest chapters of his cricket career.

Waqar was the coach when the disgrace first broke out last September resultant in bans on the concerned three Pakistani players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Aamer by the ICC's Anti-corruption court and jail terms by the Southwark Crown Court in London after a criminal trial.

The court hand out a 30-month sentence to Butt, who was Test captain on the England tour, Asif was given a one-year jail term and 19-year-old Aamer was asked to spend six months in a youth confinement and correction centre.

Waqar said for him and Pakistan cricket, the spot-fixing scandal and following developments connected to it had been torture.

"I salute our team which in spite of this dark episode kept on focusing on the game and drama well even though there was so much pressure and spotlight on the team because of the scandal," Waqar recall.

"The scandal I consideration overshadowed the appearance of our team in England as a fighting combination," he added.

Waqar said while he felt sorry for the trial the families of the players have to go throughout but there is no understanding for the jailed offender as they had let the team and nation down.

"I just hope they regret what they have done and improvement themselves. But the episode also shows the ICC and member boards need to much more to fight corrupt elements in the sport."

Waqar said Aamer had bowled one of the three prearranged no-balls during the Lord's Test at the request of Butt.

Waqar said when he asked him about it, it was Butt who spoke out and said he had instructed the pacer to bowl it due to some strategic reasons during the course of the Test.

Waqar said he had knowledgeable the ICC anti-corruption about this when he gave his statement as a witness during the investigation into the matter.

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PCB forms board to look for coach

Former captain Zaheer Abbas has been named in a three-man commission to look for a new Pakistan coach.

The unpredicted decision by Waqar Younis to resign from the coaching post took everyone in the organization by surprise. The former speedster has done wonderful work in uplifting Pakistan cricket and it came as a shock to all when he decided to take a break.

Waqar will give up the job after Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe, next month. Waqar had exposed that the decision is based on personal and medical reasons and he will make a return and serve Pakistan cricket again. In the interim, the search for a replacement is on.

The Pakistan Cricket Board, in the group, has also built-in its development manager, Intikhab Alam, and ex-Test wicketkeeper, Naushad Ali, while former Test opening batsman and now observer, Ramiz Raja, will assist the committee.

The PCB also revealed on Monday that the board will "look for coaches, both from within and outside Pakistan", and will start its work next week.

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Waqar to get treatment in Australia

Waqar Younis will have to undergo a treatment programmed in Australia for around five months to treat his health problems which enforced him to step down as Pakistan coach.

Sources close to the former Test captain said that Waqar's choice to resign as coach and end his tenure after the Pakistan team's tour to Zimbabwe was exclusively because of his health issue.

"He is facing some liver problem and specialists in his now adopted hometown, Sydney, have advise him to start an instant treatment/rehabilitation programmed to prevent the health problem from turning into a more serious disease," one source said.

"Waqar only learnt that he will need undergoing the treatment programmed after coming to Pakistan to prepare the team for the Zimbabwe tour because the consequences of the tests he underwent before coming to Pakistan only came out earlier this month after which he knowledgeable the PCB about his personal and health problem," the source said.

He said PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt didn't want Waqar to go and the former Test pacer has certain the board that once he is 100 per cent well he will be obtainable for Pakistan cricket again.

"Don't rule out the opportunity of Waqar recurring as coach sometime next year or even being given another top liability by the board as even while resigning Waqar made it clear he wanted to serve Pakistan cricket in any capacity," the source said.

The source said the possibility of the board appointing a coach on temporary basis until Waqar is well again is also a strong opportunity and for the time being Aaqib Javed, who served as supporter coach with Waqar, might be the temporary choice.

There have been speculations that Waqar's acceptance might be related to some problems with the board but the sources close to him denied this and said the pace bowler had faced lot of pressure from his family and doctors to return to Australia instantly and start his treatment.

"But because of the PCB request him to at ablest carry on for the Zimbabwe tour he agreed and he will return to Pakistan with the team to collect his possessions and sort out all matters with the board before returning to Sydney to start his treatment program," one source added.

The 39-year-old former Test captain has won a lot of praise and appreciation from former players and greats, who felt Waqar did a good job transformation the Pakistan team in spite of the several controversy and scandals that Pakistan cricket had to undergo since last year.

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My heart unmoving bleed for Pakistan

Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has confess that he is disappearing to play for the national team once again.

Speaking on a show, Afridi also made some scornful remarks on the acceptance of Waqar Younis as Pakistan team coach after the Zimbabwe tour.

"My heart bleeds to play for Pakistan and I am disappearing to play for my country. I even necessary going to Zimbabwe and with any luck at the right time I will make a reply to the team," Afridi said.

The colorful all-rounder announce his departure from all international cricket in objection in late May after the Pakistan board detached him as captain of the national one-day team after a disagreement with Waqar on the West Indies tour which was highly exposed.

Afridi has frequently said that he can make a reply only when better people come into the team organization.

Interestingly some cricket analyst point out that since Afridi's departure the entire team organization of the national side has been distorted and indication are now he will return to the team soon.

Earlier this month, the board detached Intikhab Alam as manager and also changed supporter coaches, Aaqib Javed and Shahid Aslam while Waqar announce his acceptance due to personal and health reasons insist he had no complaint against anyone and his choice was not cricket related. .

But Afridi said that he failed to appreciate that if Waqar had resigned why he was being sent as coach on the Zimbabwe tour.

"I don't know but I feel if he has any problem he should have faced them. He didn't look to have fitness problems to me but now if that has changed I don't know about that," Afridi said.

The all-rounder said he owed a lot to Pakistan and wanted to stand for the country but retire because the surroundings in the team were not friendly.

"They need to bring in more levelheaded and good people into the team organization and if that happens I will think again my decision to retire," he said.

"I have been stimulated by the support shown to me by the people. I owe them a lot."

The former captain said that it was unlucky but the board had not treat players well and didn't have proper communiqué with them that led to lot of troubles in the team.

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Waqar Younis promise full-strength Pakistan

Pakistan coach Waqar Younis has warn Ireland that his side will be leaving all out to secure a 2-0 sweep of their short ODI series in Belfast on Monday. Pakistan claims a thrashing seven-wicket victory in yesterday's opener at Stormont after bowling Ireland out for just 96.

It was a suddenly wide-margin success in a game that had loomed as a possible banana skin for the tourists. Waqar had admit to being wary of an ever-improving Irish side in their home situation before the game, particularly after Pakistan had only just arrived from their testing tour of the Caribbean on Thursday.

They lay any fears he had to rest; however, as Junaid Khan led the rout with career-best statistics of four for 12 in his sixth ODI. It was an inspiring display from a 21-year-old, who had only taken three one-day wickets before yesterday, and on the back of it Waqar could be exempt for turning to his young players for the final game of a long tour.

Pakistan has live out of hotels for the most part since the World Cup, but Waqar has pledge to select a near straight team as he aims to finish on a high. "We are not leaving to throw all the youngsters in and say, 'because it is Ireland we can take it easy'," he said.

"No, that is not going to happen. "This is international cricket and you do have to give your young people a chance. It doesn't matter if it is England or it is Ireland.

"But you have to bring on your young players when it is necessary. "It's not that you fling them in because you are playing Ireland. "You have to make confident you win and that we are playing good cricket.

"That's accurately what we are going to do." Waqar's warning is not good news for Ireland who lacks any of the insolence that earn them plaudit, and the memorable scalp of England, at this year's World Cup.

They had high hopes of claim an upset in the series to boost their chances of believable the International Cricket Council to reverse a decision to omit the connect countries from the next World Cup in 2015.

The ICC's chief executives' group is due to discuss the option of introducing a requirement system for the World Cup at a meeting next month. Tomorrow's game will therefore be Ireland's last chance to prove their qualifications, which suffered a major blow on Friday.

With that in mind Pakistan captain expects a far tougher test tomorrow, when another rain-shortened match is likely due to predict rain. "Ireland is doing very well particularly during the World Cup. They are a very good side particularly beating England," said Misbah, who turned 37 on Friday.

"We know they are going to give us a rough time. "They are making it hard for other teams and even beating good teams. "So it's a good opposition, it is international-level competition. "You have to play well next to these guys to win."

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