Former Pakistan fast bowler and coach, the legendary Waqar Younis believes the national cricket team deserves to be the No.1 side in Test matches. Pakistan recently drew their Test series against England, as Australia were whitewashed 3-0 in Sri Lanka. India ended their fourth Test against West Indies with a draw which helped Pakistan grab the top spot with 111 points. India are now second with 110 points.
"It's a proud moment for the whole nation," Waqar told ESPNcricinfo. "It's a huge moment for Misbah (ul-Haq) and for the entire team, because the hard work finally has finally paid off. It's always the ultimate dream to become the No. 1Test team in the world, and there is no team other than Pakistan that deserves to be at the top now. They suffered a lot in last seven-eight years but they have played outstanding cricket all along.”
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"There were a lot of problems in the background - those controversies and especially cricket not being played in the country and the boys being always on the road and away from home. So that is the major part I feel the team should be proud off. We kept moving forward after every hurdle, never stayed down and kept on fighting against all odds. That struggle makes this a remarkable moment for the country."
Waqar had enjoyed two stints as the coach of Pakistan. He first took up the job in March 2010 and then saw it come to an end in August 2011. During his time Pakistan won one, lost one and drew three. During his second spell which lasted from May 2012 to April 2016, the outfit won four series, drew one and lost one. These were results which helped the team’s run up to the top porch. But Waqar did not want to take credit for the rise and heaped all praises on captain Misbah-ul-Haq instead.
"I am honestly touched and, no, it's not about taking credit for what I have done. I would give full credit to Misbah-ul-Haq, who has shown great resilience against his critics and never spoke a harsh word when things were going wrong. People were crushing him down because of his style of play, but now I think those people should be proud as Pakistanis. What else could you want from him? He did everything in his own way and whether or not people like his way, it is working for the country and has taken us to the top of the world. What else do you want to achieve?
"It was Misbah's honesty and good intent that made a huge difference. His positive intentions and his characteristics are outstanding. His calmness - I have never seen him cursing his critics. Even though former and current players let him down, he never responded. But look what he has achieved. This is the kind of thing that made him the best. Pakistan is the team that deserves to be the No. 1 side."
Proud of the current team
In the 1990s Pakistan had stalwarts like Waqar himself, Wasim Akram, Inzamam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Yousuf, Saeed Anwar and Shoaib Akhtar but still they could not achieve what the present team has done by climbing to the top spot in Tests. Waqar added he is proud that such a young team has been able to achieve that.
"We were very good individually and were different," Waqar said of the teams that he had played in. "It's not like we didn't win much, but we were not the No. 1 team. That is why I feel more proud of this present team. Because this team is more gelled, know their role and are very well settled. Of course, these are not yet great players - none apart from Younis Khan has reached that mark - but they have done what we in the '90s were not able to do. This team could easily have fallen short of greatness, but they have achieved it with their hard work and unity.”
Here are highlights from Pakistan’s victory over England in the fourth Test
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