Waqar Younis Reveals How He Felt After Injury Dashed His 1992 World Cup Dream
Published - 27 Jun 2020, 01:17 AM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 12:30 AM
Waqar Younis has said missing the 1992 World Cup was a heartbreaking experience for him as he missed the historic tournament due to a back injury. Having made his Test and ODI debut in 1989, Waqar Younis was named in Pakistan’s squad for the tournament.
However, a week before the tournament started, he suffered a back injury and missed the chance to play in his first-ever World Cup. It turned out to be a costly miss as the Imran Khan-led side defied all the odds to win the tournament. It was Pakistan’s first and so far only triumph in World Cup.
Waqar Younis then went on to play three World Cups but he never managed to lay his hands on the elusive trophy. His best chance came in 1999 when Pakistan made it to the final of the World Cup. However, Australia thrashed them in a lopsided contest to win their second World Cup.
“That [tournament] was not the best time for me. I got injured. I broke my back, got a stress fracture in my back, just before the World Cup started. I was on tour, with the team, and in one of the warm-ups, I sort … something went wrong in my back, and couldn’t really walk after that World Cup for a long time,” Waqar Younis said while talking on the Cricket Badger Podcast.
He further reveled his emotions after missing the World Cup, saying that ‘it was the worst time’ for him as he was at the top of his game. At the same time, he insisted that he was very happy to see Pakistan win the World Cup while revealing that he received the victorious team in Lahore.
“That was probably the worst time because I was [at the] top of my game, I was bowling really well. And me being in the team, Pakistan were favourites to win that World Cup. Pakistan still won the World Cup, but missing out on that glory, was probably a not-so-happy moment for me,” he said.
“I was very, very happy. I still remember the day they came back to Pakistan, they landed at Lahore, I was there, I was there to receive them with the Chief Minister of the time. It was heartening as well as heart-breaking. It was a mixed feeling, but I was happier. They recognised me that I missed out – they lifted me up and put me up on the truck, and gave me all the respect and love that I missed out on. I was hurting, in a way, but also it was very, very pleasing,” he concluded.
The legendary pacer did not win the World Cup but is regarded as one of the finest bowlers of all time. He played 87 Tests and picked up 373 wickets. In ODIs, he appeared 262 times for Pakistan and picked up an impressive 416 wickets.
