Waqar Younis top three bowling figures in ODI Cricket

Former Pakistani pace legend and skipper Waqar Younis turns 51 on Thursday. The former right-arm pace was once the most feared bowler of his generation. Waqar Younis not only had the pace but also had a deadly Yorker which could crush the toes and pride of many batters. 

Waqar Younis made his debut a day before he turned 18-years-old in the same match that saw the debut of one Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar. In a career spanning nearly 15 years, Waqar Younis had played 87 test matches and 262 ODI games. The former pace legend picked 373 test wickets and picked 416 wickets in ODI cricket.

Here we take a look at the three best bowling figures by Waqar Younis in ODI Cricket:

1. 7/36 versus England – Leeds -2001 

Pakistan were involved in a three-nation ODI series with England and Australia as the other teams. During the game against England, Waqar Younis picked career best figures of 7/36 from 10 overs to bowl England out for 156. 

Waqar Younis picked the first seven England wickets to leave them tottering at 58/7. At one stage he looked like creating a new record in ODI cricket but that was denied thanks to Ben Hollioake and Darren Gough’s 67-run stand for the 8th wicket.

2. 6/30 versus New Zealand – Eden Park -1994 

Then at the height of his pace bowling powers, Waqar Younis had the Kiwis hopping with his speed. The right-arm-pacer picked 6/30 to bowl out New Zealand for 161 to make sure the match ends in a tie. Pakistan had earlier been bowled out for 161 but Waqar Younis totally destroyed the New Zealand batting unit with his bowling.

3. 6/26 versus Sri Lanka – Sharjah – 1990 

Just six months into his international cricket career, Waqar Younis served the first notice to the world. Batting first Pakistan scored 311 on a good batting track at Sharjah with Ijaz Ahmed scoring. Sri Lanka were bowled out for 221 as Waqar Younis picked his then career best 6/26 to bowl his side to an easy 90 run win. Four batters saw their stumps being destroyed while two more batters were out LBW thanks to the searing pace of Waqar Younis. 

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