The Pakistan Cricket Board wanted the outgoing coach Waqar Younis to return to this post once he resolved his health issues and the former great had also promised to rejoin the game once he recovered. PCB chairman Ijaz Butt in his speech at a farewell function the board organised late on Thursday night invited Waqar back to serve Pakistan cricket. The former Pakistan captain stepped down as head coach after the Zimbabwe tour owing to health and personal reasons. Younis, who returned to his Sydney after ending his contract with the Board, got a lot of praise from those gathered at the farewell including captain Misbah-ul-Haq and the PCB chief. Butt termed the resignation of Younis as a setback for the Pakistan cricket. “He did an excellent job with the team as coach and obviously his resignation is a setback to our plans. I just hope he is able to resolve his health and other issues soon and is welcome to come back to serve Pakistan cricket anytime,” the PCB chief said. Pakistan is hunting for a new coach to replace Younis with no shortlist of candidates finalised as yet although the national team plays Sri Lanka in the UAE next month. Younis, in an emotional speech, said if he had any options he would not have preferred to leave the job. “If it had not been absolutely necessary for me to go and resolve my health issues, I would not have left the team now because it has done wonderfully well and it has been a great experience working with these players and it is a hard decision to leave now,” Younis said. Insisting that he was sad on leaving his coaching position midway through his contract period, Younis said the players had cooperated a lot with him rebuilding the side and they were on the right track. “I am ready to do anything for Pakistan cricket and hopefully once my issues are resolved I would love to become active again in some way,” he added. The former fast bowler is said to be suffering from a liver ailment for which doctors in Sydney have advised him a long term treatment and rehabilitation process under their direct supervision. Intikhab Alam who worked with Waqar as manager in the national team said he had seen from close how dedicated Younis was to his job. “He has achieved a lot as a player, commentator and now coach. It is disappointing to see him go at this time when we have some tough series coming up but we all pray he will soon be able to get back to normal life,” Intikhab said. The farewell function was attended by the Pakistan team players and PCB officials with the former coach being presented with special mementos on the occasion at the National Cricket Academy.
