Hope Waqar has learnt from mistakes as coach, says Yousuf

Karachi: Former Pakistan captain Muhammad Yousuf feels that Waqar Younis must have learnt from his previous tenure as head coach of the national team and will not repeat the same mistakes again in his second term with the side.

"I just hope Waqar does not repeat the same mistakes again. Or else it would be disastrous for the national team," Yousuf said today. "I hope he has learnt from his mistakes and he will contribute more positively, because he can do a lot for Pakistan cricket," he added. Yousuf, who has repeatedly blamed Waqar for ill-treating him as a player and trying to end his international career, said when Waqar was head coach in 2010 and 2011 he made many mistakes and did not give proper respect to the seniors who had played with him earlier. "There were problems with his behaviour with seniors like myself, Razzaq, Afridi. Especially in 2010, when he came to Australia as bowling coach, he made life difficult for me and other players," Yousuf recalled. Pakistan had one of their worst foreign tours when they lost every match in the Australian tour leading to a major inquiry by the Board. Some players were found guilty of not giving their best and for indiscipline and they were fined heavily. 39-year-old Yousuf, who played 90 Tests and 288 ODIs, said the presence of former Test leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed in the team as spin bowling coach will also help matters because he has a good rapport with Waqar. "It is important that Waqar, captain Misbah-ul-Haq and chief selector Moin Khan, who is also the team manager, work on the same wavelength and don`t have any ego issues because Pakistan needs all three of them to work harmoniously," Yousuf added. The former captain said the trio need to sit down together and start planning for the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand next year.