Pak vs NZ: Bowling coach Waqar Younis to skip second Test to spend time with family

• Waqar Younis will return to Pakistan to spend more time with his family
• The bowling coach last met them in June 
• Waqar had put forward the request to meet his family in Lahore till Jan 17 

NAPIER: Bowling coach Waqar Younis will leave the Pakistan cricket team ahead of the second Test against New Zealand to spend time with his family.

Younis will return to Pakistan as he has not met his family since June.

The Pakistan bowling coach had put forward the request to the team management as his family is in Lahore till January 17. They will then return to Sydney, Australia.

Younis will rejoin the side in time for the series against South Africa, which starts with the first Test in Karachi on January 26.

“Considering Waqar has not seen his family since June and taking into account that our home series against South Africa, which follows the series against New Zealand, doesn’t finish until 14 February, we took a pragmatic view of his request and have allowed him to return home early so that he can spend additional time with his wife and children," said Pakistan manager Mansoor Rana.

Rana said if the bowling coach Younis had returned to Pakistan with the team then he would have only gotten a week with his family.

"For all of us, families always come first and we have in the past made similar exemptions so that our team members are able to achieve the correct work-life balance,” said Rana.

The Pakistan cricket team is in New Zealand since last month where they were placed under a 14-day quarantine amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Pakistan is currently playing its T20 series against the Kiwis and has lost the first two matches already.

The Test series will start from December 26 with the first Test scheduled to take place at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.