A very smooth approach to the wicket, in swinging fearsome Yorker, bang on target, these are the prominent attributes of one of the finest fast bowlers the world has ever seen. A sigh of relief by many batsmen around the world who were more worried about protecting their toes rather than their stumps. The incomparable Waqar Younis has called it a day. Only a high talent can redefine an art, the champion warrior from Burewala Pakistan, had the simplest cricket philosophy, if you miss, I hit. With his perseverance, and tremendous control over swing with great pace, he was regarded as king of reverse swing. The proof of his brilliance was in his strike-rate the best of any bowler with over 200 Test wickets.

Waqar made his debut in the Test arena against India at Karachi in 1989. Although he did not make a huge impact in his first match, yet it was evident that a new force in world cricket had been unleashed.

His talent was recognised by the legendary Imran Khan who brought him into the Test side. Waqar proved that he was a quick learner by developing his trademark deliveries early into his career. The route to stardom taken by Waqar Younis was no different but his rise to the top was undoubtedly sensational. Within just three years of his debut, he arguably became the fastest bowler of that era, and the highest paid man around in the county circuit. Even the great West Indian batsmen Desmond Haynes and Gordon Greenidge were amazed when they faced the young speedster in Sharjah.

Waqar formed one of the most lethal and dominant fast bowling pair with the other W, the legendary Wasim Akram. Together they demolished the famed batting orders from every cricket playing country.

Waqar has finished with 373 wickets in Tests and 416 in ODIs. And, in doing so, he has assured himself a berth in the bowlers’ Hall of Fame.

Whole career of Waqar Younis is filled with many ups and downs, definitely missing the world cup in 1992 was the most painful in all. A vertebral stress fracture in his prime days ruined his hope to be the part of the famous world cup win. Then came the rivalry between him and Wasim Akram, Waqar blames Akram for his underachievement. Injuries, administrators of Pakistan cricket, and roars of match fixing were others.

Waqar is a pioneer in many events, really it was he after whom people started to know about reverse swing, he was the very first in Pakistan who’s name associated with an Express Train (Burewala Express). And he then became the first player to be banned for tampering with the ball in an international match.

Let’s talk about his last stint for the country. He took over the captaincy from Moin Khan in April 2001 and since then played 58 ODI matches including the world cup. And to be honest his performance was not that bad, he took 93 wickets with an average of 23.70. In fact he was among the leading wicket takers in the calendar year 2002-2003. And in test match arena, he was even better, in 16 matches during that period he claimed 54 wickets.

Pakistan lost the world cup, in fact knocked out in the first round, but Waqar was not the only one responsible for that dismal show. Everyone, other than him got a chance to play again, apart from Wasim Akram and Saeed Anwar who announced retirement from the game. Did not he deserve to play again? Pakistan Cricket Board offered him to appear in one last match in South African home series, but Waqar declined the offer, saying he would make a comeback. He was determined as ever, he did appear in domestic competition to prove his worth, but to no avail. The board could have given him a chance against India, his experience would definitely help the team, especially the new lot of fast bowlers. Having said that, had he given a chance and failed to deliver, then it definitely left a bad taste in his mouth, now at least he is leaving the game with some dignity. Some credit should be given to the Board and his chairman Mr. Shaharyar Khan as they gave something to the legendary cricketer by arranging a press conference in his honour on April 12th. After all, he has served the country for years, and deserved that much of a pride.

With Waqar’s retirement, the great era of the two Ws has come to an end. It is no doubt a great loss for Pakistan, but even a bigger loss for cricket. While Wasim is engaged with commentary assignments, who could be better than Waqar to serve the team in desperate need of a good bowling coach. With a nice and easy, rhythmic run-up, flowing action and follow through, Waqar is still a perfect model for any youngster aspiring to become a fast bowler. For the better fast bowling future of Paksitan, the board should consider a man, who has taken 789 international wickets, was the youngest to reach 200 Test wickets, and the quickest to 200 one-day wickets.