Pakistan’s off the field-bouncers can be quite entertaining at times
Although sportspersons across the globe, especially cricketers, are known for giving mundane quotes, Pakistan players and officials are often as entertaining off the field as they are on it. Amol Karhadkar reports.
Although sportspersons across the globe, especially cricketers, are known for giving mundane quotes, Pakistan players and officials are often as entertaining off the field as they are on it.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis, who is the team coach, showed the sense of humour in the side was intact despite the turmoil in the nation's cricketing set up.
This came through at Pakistan’s first practice session at the Mahinda Rajapakse stadium. Waqar was informal during his media interaction, joking with the Pakistani scribes.
When a scribe, referring to Pakistan’s World Cup hopes in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal, asked two questions as long as Waqar’s run-up at his peak, he waited for a second, and then asked, “Main aapka pehla sawaal bhool gaya (I forgot your first question).”
His former team mate Inzamam once answered a query about a fast bowler who was plundered for runs by Indian batsmen in a Test as “What can I say about the performance of a non-performer.”
When a scribe reminded him that before leaving Pakistan for the Cup, he had said that everyone can see Shoaib Akhtar’s fitness, Waqar retorted: “Main abhi bhi wahi keh raha hoon (I’m still saying that). Shoaib is getting better; he is not yet a 100 per cent”.
