A back injury had forced Waqar to return to Pakistan ahead of the 1992 World Cup.
One of the best bowlers to have played the game, Waqar Younis revealed that he still regrets not being part of the 1992 World Cup-winning campaign for Pakistan. Waqar had to return home after suffering a stress fracture in his back ahead of the World Cup and it ended his hopes of contributing to Pakistan lifting their maiden World Cup trophy. Imran Khan was chosen to lead the side in Australia and Pakistan beat England in the finals to win the trophy.
Waqar, who made his international debut in 1989, went on to represent Pakistan in 87 Tests and 262 ODIs and his combination alongside Wasim Akram was a nightmare for the batters. The right-arm seamer picked up more than 750 international wickets across formats and enjoyed plenty of success around the world. However, it is a dream for most players to be part of a World Cup-winning squad and he had to miss that.
My team members eventually picked me up and all the celebrations started: Waqar Younis
Waqar regretted missing out on the World Cup-winning squad but noted he was delighted for his mates in the side at the same time. He explained the scenario once the squad returned and how the squad had shown the trophy first while the door of the plane opened.
“I regret that I was not part of the winning side, but I was so excited and happy for my teammates. I still remember very clearly the day they came back. There were no tunnels and stairs used to be attached to the airplanes in those times. Big searchlights were placed at the gate of the plane,” Younis was quoted as saying by CricketPakistan.
He revealed the emotions he had to go through after seeing the trophy and mentioned that the team lifted him up to celebrate the moment. The former pacer went on to reveal the strength of the Pakistan team as well with the seniors and juniors getting along well.
“When the door opened, the crystal trophy was the first thing to come out and I was standing in the first row, literally, when they came out I felt someone had taken my soul from the legs and I sat down and started crying, it was a very emotional but happy moment at the same time. My team members eventually picked me up and all the celebrations started.”
“The bonding was great, Imran Khan’s leadership was solid, and Javed Miandad was very strong. A batch came were six to seven players came from the U19 level and we were all part of the world cup squad. We also had Wasim Bhai, who was a bit senior but we were jelled all together,” he added.
