Waqar Younis: The Sultan of Swing and Pakistan's Greatest Wicket-Taker

Waqar Younis is one of cricket's most feared fast bowlers and Pakistan's leading wicket-taker in Test cricket, with 373 wickets at an average of 23.56 from 87 Tests. Born in Burewala, Punjab in 1971, Waqar played for Pakistan from 1989 to 2003. His bowling was built on two primary weapons: extreme inswing at high pace — deliveries that swung viciously from outside off stump into the right-handed batter's feet or pads — and devastating yorkers that trapped batters in front or uprooted stumps. His partnership with Wasim Akram is widely regarded as the greatest fast bowling combination in cricket history.

Wasim and Waqar

The partnership of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis terrorised batting line-ups from around 1990 to 2001. Wasim operated from the pavilion end, swinging the ball both ways; Waqar came from the other and swung it in sharply and late. Together they took over 500 Test wickets each. Their reverse swing — working the old ball at high pace in the later stages of an innings — was unprecedented. Batters who had comfortably faced them in the first innings, when the ball was conventional, were often dismantled in the second innings when Wasim and Waqar reverse-swung the worn ball at similar pace.

Career Peaks and Captaincy

Waqar's peak years were 1990-1993, when he was arguably the most destructive bowler in world cricket. He took 57 wickets in 1990 alone — the fourth highest in a calendar year in Test history. He was also highly effective in ODIs, taking 416 wickets in 262 matches. Waqar captained Pakistan in 17 Tests with mixed success. He later served as Pakistan's bowling coach and head coach between 2010 and 2016.