Multan hopes rest on Wasim-Waqar partnership

KARACHI: You can’t know much about the latest franchise to join the Pakistan Super league (PSL). But what you do know is that this new team – Multan Sultans – is sure to have a potent pace attack.

That’s because the Sultans have roped in Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – one of cricket history’s most feared bowling partnership.

Waqar will be the franchise’s mentor and head coach, while Wasim will take the role of cricket operations director after deciding to leave Islamabad United. The official signing of the agreement, according to Cricinfo, is expected to take place in Karachi in the third week of August.

Wasim spent two contrasting seasons with United, including winning the championship during the inaugural tournament in 2015. However, their second season suffered after three of their key players - Mohammad Irfan, Khalid Latif and Sharjeel Khan - were embroiled in a corruption scandal and were suspended. It is learnt that United captain Misbah-ul-Haq, who recently retired from international cricket, was being considered to act as a mentor to fill in for Wasim.

Waqar, who has had two stints with Pakistan as the national head coach, was originally ignored for the first two seasons of the PSL. But with the addition of a sixth team for the third season, he was approached in June to join Multan - which is owned by The Schön Group, a Dubai-based enterprise, well-established in the real-estate business in Pakistan. After the coaching stint with Pakistan, Waqar appeared on various TV networks as a commentator.

Both Wasim and Waqar dominated world cricket in the 1990s with their fear-inducing bowling, but the duo often shared a strained relationship during their playing days. In the 61 Tests that the two played together, they took 559 wickets between them. Wasim took 282 wickets, and Waqar, 277. They are the third most prolific fast-bowling duo after Curtly Ambrose-Courtney Walsh and James Anderson-Stuart Broad.

Over the years, both players moved on from their past rift, with Waqar once expressing regret on having a troubled relation with Wasim. This PSL venture with Multan will be the first time they will work together since their retirements in 2003.