

A Pakistani fast bowler whose devastating in-swinging yorkers terrorized batters and redefined the art of reverse swing.
Waqar Younis didn't just bowl fast; he delivered spells of pure, destructive physics. Emerging in the late 1980s, he formed, alongside Wasim Akram, one of the most feared pace partnerships in cricket history. His signature was the toe-crushing yorker, a ball that swung late and at high speed to smash into the base of the stumps or the batsman's feet. Waqar mastered the dark art of reverse swing, making the old ball dart and duck in ways that seemed to defy logic. His career was a highlight reel of uprooted stumps and shattered toes, peaking when he led Pakistan's bowling attack to the final of the 1999 World Cup. While his tenure as captain and later as coach had mixed results, his playing legacy is untouchable: a pure, aggressive fast bowler who brought spectacle and intimidation to the game's most demanding craft.
1965–1980
The latchkey kids. Raised during divorce, recession, and the end of the Cold War. Skeptical, self-reliant, media-literate. They invented indie culture, grunge, and the early internet — then watched the Boomers take credit.
Waqar was born in 1971, placing them squarely in the Generation X. The events that shaped this generation — economic uncertainty, the end of the Cold War, and the rise of personal computing — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
The biggest hits of 1971
#1 Movie
Fiddler on the Roof
Best Picture
The French Connection
#1 TV Show
Marcus Welby, M.D.
The world at every milestone
Voting age lowered to 18 in the US
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Apple Macintosh introduced
Black Monday stock market crash
Berlin Wall falls; Tiananmen Square protests
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
September 11 attacks transform the world
Osama bin Laden killed; Arab Spring sweeps the Middle East
January 6 Capitol breach; COVID vaccines roll out globally
He made his Test debut against India in 1989, taking 4 wickets in the first innings.
Waqar held the record for the fastest to 400 wickets in One Day Internationals for many years.
He is often nicknamed 'Burewala Express' after his hometown of Burewala in Punjab.
“The art of reverse swing is like a magician’s trick. Once you know how it’s done, the mystery is gone, but doing it under pressure is what counts.”