Sydney, January 24: With his future as Pakistan’s bowling coach shrouded in uncertainty, legendary fast bowler Waqar Younis has expressed his desire to help the Australian pacers in their quest to reclaim the Ashes.
Waqar’s contract with the Pakistan team ends after after the five-match one-day series and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has not yet pushed for a renewed contract.
With his current situation still uncertain, Waqar, who lives in Sydney with his Australian wife and their three children, wants to work with the Aussies.
”I would love to work with the Australian bowlers. ”I’ve got the ODIs to go and then I’m a free agent. I don’t know what Pakistan will do but if Australia is interested, then I would certainly listen,” Waqar said.
”My contract with the PCB was just for this tour and because I live in Australia it was a bit of help for them. I don’t really know what I’m going to be doing next, but ultimately I am a professional coach and if there is a job for Australia I’d certainly want to help,” he added.
Australia already has a bowling coach in Troy Cooley who was signed on in 2006. Cooley was offered the job after helping England during their successful Ashes campaign in 2005.
But Waqar, among the greatest fast bowlers in the game’s history one of the pioneers of reverse swing, could add an extra edge to the Australian attack.
The 40-year-old was impressed with Shane Watson’s reverse swing during the third Test in Hobart last week and is confident that he will be able to help the other quicks like Mitchell Johnson and Doug Bollinger improve themselves.
”Johnson and Bollinger are very talented bowlers and it would be a pleasure to work with guys like this. They are hard-working kids and they can only get better and better,” he said. ”Nowadays, coaching is not just about helping your country, it’s about making the game better and helping players,” he added.
——Agencies