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Waqar Younis resigns as Pakistan head coach after World T20 disappointment

Waqar Younis has stepped down as Pakistan coach after their poor display in the World T20
Image: Waqar Younis has stepped down as Pakistan coach after their poor display in the World T20

Waqar Younis has resigned as Pakistan head coach following his side's group stage exit from the World Twenty20.

The 2009 champions mustered only one win in the competition - against Bangladesh - while suffering heavy defeats to India, New Zealand and Australia. 

Waqar took on the role for a second time in 2014 having previously been in the post in 2010/11 and had enjoyed some success in lifting the Test side to No 2 in the world.

Pakistan lost to New Zealand, India and Australia in the tournament
Image: Pakistan lost to New Zealand, India and Australia in the tournament

But the former fast bowler failed to improve Pakistan's fortunes in the shorter formats, with the team ranked a lowly seventh and eighth place in Twenty20 and one-day internationals respectively. 

"I am resigning from my post today with a heavy heart," he told reporters in Lahore on Monday.

In a leaked report written in the aftermath of the World Twenty20, Waqar criticised criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to not give him a say in the selection process and blasted the captaincy of Shahid Afridi.

"We lost to New Zealand, Asia Cup and the World T20 due to poor captaincy. Over several occasions, I had made it clear that Shahid Afridi was not performing with the bat, ball or as a captain but I was not listened to," he wrote.

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Shahid Afridi's captaincy was criticised by Waqar Younis
Image: Shahid Afridi's captaincy was criticised by Waqar Younis

"I had made a lot of recommendations after the 2015 World Cup, including sending some boys back to first-class cricket for at least a season so they can regain their hunger for the game and rethink their approach and attitude to play for Pakistan, but no recommendation was implemented." 

Referring to the report, he said: "I want my recommendations to be implemented. They were not acted on when I first made them in 2015."

Afridi stepped down as Pakistan's T20 captain on Sunday but vowed to continue as a player.

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