Thaindian News

Islamabad, Feb 10(ANI): Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Ijaz Butt has lauded team coach Waqar Younis for his efforts to rebuild the national squad following the spot-fixing scandal that broke last August.

“I am very happy with what Waqar is doing. He has a plan to move forward and he has handled the team well despite the situation arising out of the spot-fixing controversies surrounding our players and other issues,” the Daily Times quoted Butt, as telling reporters.

The PCB chief said he had personally seen the good work done by Waqar in this regard, and that now he was confident of a good showing from the Pakistan team in the upcoming World Cup.

“He has kept the team united despite the off-the-field controversies we have had to face since last year,” Butt said.

“The biggest plus is that Waqar understands our cricket culture and has no problems communicating with the players,” he added.

Earlier, Waqar had urged the Pakistan team to put the spot-fixing controversy behind, move on and make a fresh start.

“We can now make a fresh start after a lot of controversies affected Pakistan cricket and I am happy that it’s over now,” he said after reaching home from New Zealand, where Pakistan drew the Test and won the one-day series.

“The World Cup provides us with a great opportunity to make a fresh start. It has been difficult for the players since the controversies broke out last year in England but they have handled it well,” he added. (ANI)