Former Pakistan captain Waqar Younis has criticised Australia coach Justin Langer’s praise for David Warner’s double-bouncer six which he hit off Mohammad Hafeez in the second semi-final of the T20 World Cup 2021 between Australia and Pakistan. Bowling the eighth over, the ball slipped out of Hafeez’s hands and as it reached Warner on two bounces, the Australia opener smoked it for six.
While Warner’s decision to hit a six was met with mixed reactions, with the whole ‘spirit of cricket’ coming in question, Waqar feels the batsman was in his right to do whatever he wanted, but warned that it should not be promoted as he sets a bad example for youngsters watching the game.
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{{/usCountry}}"It’s fine. It was legal. He had the right to hit it and he did. That’s all good. But promoting it is wrong. The way Justin Langer praised it by saying things like ‘Brilliant presence of mind, I’ve never seen anything like this on the cricket pitch’… that is ridiculous. That is not right. What are you teaching the little kids? Fine, it is your mindset… you play the way you want to but don’t teach the youngsters," Waqar said on A Sports.
Recalling a previous incident, Waqar said it was not a surprise seeing Langer speak highly of it. During a Test match between Pakistan and Australia in Hobart in 1999, Waqar revealed how Langer did not walk despite edging the ball but instead, a few days later admitted to have nicked it.
"Justin Langer has this history. In a Test match in the 1990s, we played a very famous Test match at Hobart. We were on the brink of winning the Test match but when he nicked the ball, he did not walk. And it was the biggest nick I had ever heard," Waqar said.
"He admitted 2-3 days later. I had a chat with him at one of the functions and he said ‘oh, there was a click in there. I said 'don't give me that rubbish’. He agreed to it. What are you trying to promote?"