Waqar Younis's debut in International Cricket

Waqar Younis might have made his Test debut alongside Sachin Tendulkar, but he made his ODI debut prior to that. The King of Swing mastered the art of swing probably better than anybody else on the planet. His swinging yorkers were the real threat for the batsmen which really sometimes made them feel the need for having metal boots rather than the helmet. He was probably one of those who garnered a precise control on reverse swing. He was the part of one of the most lethal bowling attack of all time which included him, Wasim Akram, Saqlain Mushtaq and Mushtaq Ahmed.

Waqar Younis started playing cricket at competitive level in 1987 and he played for different clubs. He was first noticed by in a first class match by Imran Khan who immediately after the match asked Waqar to be prepared for the tour to Sharjah for the Champions Trophy. This was just out of the blues and was a surprise inclusion in the team. He did not have any significant performance behind him, it was just the way he was bowling which impressed Imran.

Waqar made his international debut in Sharjah against the West Indies on Oct. 14, 1989. He opened the bowling with Wasim Akram in this match but after his first spell of 4 overs in which he gave 14 runs, he did not get to bowl in the match further. he went wicketless but he left an impression with his speed and accuracy. In the tournament he played 3 matches but bowled only 19 overs to pick up 3 wickets.

In the first few series he was not having many wickets to his name but his speed was making news and in 1990 his 17 matches in Asia cup made him a sensation. 29 wickets against New Zealand in the subsequent Test series also proved that he can take wickets in both formats of the game. He was picking up wickets at will and finished with close to 800 international wickets and holds the record for picking up the most number of five wicket hauls in the history of ODI Cricket.