Waqar Younis 'impressed' with what he saw during training camp for fast bowlers: report

Bowling coach Waqar Younis has reportedly been left impressed by the promise shown by young pacers Muhammad Musa, Naseem Shah and Sameen Gul during a training camp set up in Lahore for fast bowlers.

Younis, one of the greatest pacers of all time, became the national team’s bowling coach in September and was also assigned the additional task of unearthing and grooming young speedsters.

During the specialised training camp to which a select group of 15 were invited, Younis generally liked what he saw, with the bowlers’ energy in particular impressing him.

However, the bowling coach was especially in awe of Musa’s high fitness levels and Shah’s precocious talent. It is pertinent to mention that Shah is only 16.

It was purportedly decided to increase the pool of fast bowlers as it is done by the Australian cricket team. Furthermore, it is likely that young pacers will be given a chance for the upcoming tour Down Under, the squads for which are expected to be announced on Monday.

Thirteen of the 15 invited to the camp were those who had caught the coaches’ eye during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy as well as the ongoing National T20 Cup. The other two were Shaheen Shah Afridi and Mohammad Abbas, who have been inactive lately due to illness and injury respectively.

Abbas has shaken off his injury issues and been declared fit for the Australia tour. Afridi, on the other hand, has recovered fully from dengue fever while his hamstring injury is also better than before, with the team management hopeful of getting him fully fit before the Test series.

Younis made Imran Khan Sr bowl lengthy spells during the training camp. He and Rahat Ali are also in consideration for the Test series.