Waqar wants to continue aggression

AUCKLAND: Waqar Younis on Saturday hailed Pakistan’s “aggressive” showing against South Africa and stressed that only by playing attacking cricket can his charges tame higher-rated opponents, writes Khalid Hussain.
“We have started playing good, aggressive cricket, which I think Pakistan cricket is known for in the past. We have started finding the right combination. The players have started believing in themselves, they have started trusting their abilities. I think this was a key.
“I’m very thrilled. Very happy with this victory, but it’s a long way to go,” Pakistan’s coach said after his team announced its World Cup ambitions by drowning South Africa at rain-drenched Eden Park.
“If you look around the entire tournament, teams who are playing aggressively have been more successful. I think what we did in this game was very similar, and hopefully we’re going to carry on with this,” he said.
Waqar hoped that his team will go on to perform like the World Cup-winning squad of 1992.
“But we have to really work hard. World Cup is a pressure game. In ‘92 Pakistan handled pressure really well. They lost early games and they came back really strongly. They had the belief. Imran Khan had serious belief, and I’m sure that belief is coming into our dressing room that we can deliver. I’m not going to say or think too ahead of it, but of course we are in the right direction.”
Just minutes before Waqar’s post-match presser, South Africa captain AB de Villiers had refused to agree that Pakistan’s pace attack was extra-ordinary as it defended a modest total.
But Waqar stressed that his pacers were too good for the Proteas.
“Maybe he (AB) didn’t find the pacers extra-ordinary because he played really well,” Waqar said referring to AB’s 58-ball 77. “But I guess the other South Africans found it extra-ordinary. If you ask the others probably they’ll tell you it was not easy to bat against our pacers.”
Waqar said that the win against South Africa has put his team on the right track ahead of the quarters. “It’s our first big victory and now we’re on the right path. Hopefully we’re going to get better and better.”
Pakistan have improved their chances of qualifying for the last eight by leaps and bounds by beating South Africa but Waqar made it clear that his team still has to beat Ireland to secure a quarterfinal berth.
He said that Pakistan will need an improved showing from their batters in the coming matches.