Waqar Younis Feels Naseem Shah's Absence Is A Big Loss, Calls India vs Pakistan "Mother Of All The Games"

Legendary Pakistan National Cricket Team pacer Waqar Younis reckons that the unavailability of the right-arm quick Naseem Shah in the World Cup is a huge blow to Babar Azam & Co.

Naseem Shah has been ruled out of the upcoming tournament after sustaining a shoulder injury. Pakistan have included Hasan Ali in the squad as a replacement for the star pacer for the 2023 World Cup.

Speaking on Star Sports, Waqar Younis said that Team Pakistan are a hit-and-miss side currently and the absence of Naseem Shah is a major loss for them. He stated that the young pacer used to compliment left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi very well with the new ball and together they used to pick early wickets.

“Now, if I talk about Pakistan, they are miss and hit this time. The absence of Naseem Shah will be a big disadvantage because Naseem and Shaheen used to complement each other with new ball,” Waqar said.

“The new ball is always crucial for us not only for this World Cup but also if you can see overall matches, it has been always a very important factor for us over the years and in the past World Cups also. When we used to strike and take wickets with the new ball, then we used to get some momentum for staying in a better position in the game. So, the absence of Naseem Shah is a very big loss for Pakistan,” Waqar said.

Waqar Younis Calls India vs Pakistan “Mother Of All The Games”

Waqar Younis further talked about the high-octane India vs Pakistan clash, saying that the match between the two arch-rivals is the mother of all the games.

He opined that Team Pakistan are weaker when compared to Team India and they will be under tremendous pressure when they take on the hosts at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on October 14.

“Then again, as we all know, it will be the biggest game, mother of all the games. So, when you will play in Ahmedabad, which has one of the biggest and finest stadiums in the world, you will have to control your nerves and not only Pakistan will be under pressure since it is a weaker team as compared to India but India will be also under pressure because the crowd in the stadium will create pressure on both the teams and that will balance the pressure in the game. However, if we judge purely based on the team’s performance, clearly India definitely will be a better team,” Waqar Younis concluded.

Pakistan will open their World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on October 6. Ahead of that game, they will lock horns with New Zealand and Australia in warm-ups on September 29 and on October 3.