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Waqar Younis was a fast bowler. He played for Pakistan. He was one of the greatest bowlers of all time. He bowled at very high speeds and was a master of reverse swing. Batsmen feared him. His yorkers were lethal. He consistently took wickets whenever Pakistan needed them. He played throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. He formed a formidable partnership with Wasim Akram. Together, they were incredibly dangerous. After retiring from playing, he took up coaching. He taught young bowlers the art of fast bowling. He taught them reverse swing. His name is remembered in Pakistan cricket. His name is remembered in cricket around the world. He was that good.
Waqar Younis Maitla was born on November 16, 1971. He was born in Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan. He is now fifty-four years old. He grew up in Pakistan, where cricket was the national sport. Boys played cricket in the streets. Waqar played too. He was fast even then.
He is a right-handed player. He bats right-handed and bowls fast with his right hand. He was always a bowler. Batting wasn’t his strong suit. He was a tail-ender. But with the ball, he was special. He could bowl fast. He could swing the ball. He quickly mastered reverse swing. That’s what made him so dangerous.
Waqar Younis made his first-class cricket debut in the late 1980s. He played for Pakistani domestic teams. He played for Karachi, Multan, and United Bank Limited. He also played for National Bank of Pakistan. He was the main fast bowler for these teams. People noticed his speed. They noticed his reverse swing.
He made his One Day International (ODI) debut against the West Indies on October 14, 1989. He was seventeen years old. This is a very young age for international cricket. At that time, the West Indies had some of the best batsmen in the world. Waqar bowled against them. He showed that he was up to the challenge.
He made his Test debut against India on November 15, 1989. He was still seventeen years old. Matches between India and Pakistan are very exciting. The pressure is immense. Waqar handled it. He took wickets. He quickly established himself as one of Pakistan’s top fast bowlers.
| Attribute | Details |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Waqar Younis Maitla |
| Date of Birth | 16 November 1971 |
| Age (2026) | 54 years (as of 2026) |
| Birthplace | Vehari, Punjab, Pakistan |
| Nationality | Pakistani |
| Role | Bowler / Fast Bowler |
| Batting Style | Right-handed bat |
| Bowling Style | Right-arm fast |
| Domestic Teams | Pakistan Under-19s, Pakistan A, Multan, United Bank Limited, Surrey, Glamorgan, Karachi, Rawalpindi, REDCO Pakistan Limited, Lahore Blues, National Bank of Pakistan, Warwickshire, Allied Bank Limited |
| International Team | Pakistan National Cricket Team |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Spouse | Dr. Faryal Waqar Younis |
| Net Worth | Not officially disclosed (public figures vary; no verified source) |
| Format | Years | Matches | Innings | Not Outs | Runs | HS | Avg | Balls | SR | 100s | 50s | 4s | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 1989–03 | 87 | 120 | 21 | 1,010 | 45 | 10.2 | 2,106 | 48.0 | 0 | 0 | 133 | 16 |
| ODI | 1989–03 | 262 | 139 | 45 | 969 | 37 | 10.3 | 1,445 | 67.0 | 0 | 0 | 58 | 21 |
| Format | Years | Matches | Innings | Balls | Maidens | Runs | Wickets | Best | Econ | Avg | SR | 4W | 5W |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 1989–03 | 87 | 154 | 16,224 | 516 | 8,788 | 373 | 7/76 | 3.25 | 23.6 | 43.5 | 28 | 22 |
| ODI | 1989–03 | 262 | 258 | 12,698 | 143 | 9,919 | 416 | 7/36 | 4.68 | 23.8 | 30.5 | 14 | 13 |
| Format | Years | Catches | Run Outs | Stumpings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Test | 1989–03 | 18 | 0 | 0 |
| ODI | 1989–03 | 35 | 9 | 0 |
Waqar Younis played Test and One Day International matches for Pakistan. He did not play T20 Internationals as this format did not exist during his playing career. He was one of the most dangerous fast bowlers of his era. He formed a formidable partnership with Wasim Akram. Together, they were the backbone of Pakistan’s bowling attack throughout the 1990s.
He played for several domestic and county teams. He played for Surrey and Glamorgan in England. He also played for Allied Bank Limited and Redco Pakistan Limited. He represented Lahore Blues and Rawalpindi. Wherever he played, he was the main bowler. His role was simple: to take wickets. And he did it exceptionally well.
He played throughout the 1990s and into the early 2000s. He was Pakistan’s strike bowler. When they needed a wicket, they would give the ball to Waqar or Wasim. More often than not, they delivered. Waqar’s yorkers were legendary. His reverse swing was lethal. Batsmen found him incredibly difficult to play.
After retiring, he became a coach. He served as the bowling coach for the Pakistan national team. He held this position on several occasions, including from 2006 to 2007 and from 2019 onwards. He was appointed head coach of the Pakistan cricket team on March 3, 2010. He resigned in August 2011. Coaching Pakistan is a challenging job. The pressure is immense. Waqar gave his best.
Waqar Younis was a right-arm fast bowler. His main strength was reverse swing. When the ball gets old, it can swing in the opposite direction. This is called reverse swing. Waqar had mastered this technique. He could swing the old ball late and at high speed. The batsmen couldn’t understand it.
His yorkers were very dangerous. A yorker is a ball that lands right at the batsman’s feet. It’s difficult to hit. Waqar bowled yorkers at high speed. They were almost impossible to play. He took many wickets with his yorkers. The batsmen knew they were coming, yet they couldn’t stop them.
He had a good tactical understanding of the game. He knew when to bowl a yorker. He knew when to bowl a bouncer. He knew when to use reverse swing. He understood the batsmen well. He would set them up. Then he would get them out.
He was an athletic fielder. He fielded well for a fast bowler. He took good catches. He saved runs in the field. Fast bowlers of his era were expected to field well. Waqar did this quite well.
Waqar Younis took 373 Test wickets in his career. He also took 416 ODI wickets. This makes him one of Pakistan’s greatest bowlers. Very few people have taken more wickets for Pakistan than him.
He was the youngest bowler to take 400 ODI wickets. This record stood for many years. It shows his consistency. It shows his skill.
He is considered one of the top fast bowlers in ICC history. His strike rate is among the best. The strike rate shows how quickly a bowler takes wickets. Waqar’s strike rate was outstanding. He took wickets regularly.
Among bowlers with more than 350 Test wickets, his strike rate is the second best in Test history. This is remarkable. It means he took wickets faster than almost any other bowler who took that many wickets.
He played a crucial role in Pakistan’s bowling attack during the 1990s and early 2000s. Pakistan won matches because of him. He won matches with the ball.
Waqar Younis’s net worth has not been officially disclosed. Several public sources provide varying estimates, but none of them are verified. There is no reliable official source for his net worth.
His income likely came from his international cricket career. He held central contracts with the Pakistan Cricket Board. He also earned money from coaching roles, including coaching the Pakistan national team and Sunrisers Hyderabad. He may have also earned income from league contracts and endorsements, but specific verified figures are not available.
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