— Career wickets
0One half of cricket's defining pace partnership and the man who made the reverse-swinging yorker his signature.
— Biography
Waqar's legacy
Discovered by Imran Khan from a television highlight reel, Waqar Younis arrived as a teenager and immediately bowled with rare pace and directness. His stock ball — the late-dipping reverse-swinging yorker — became one of the signature deliveries of the 1990s.
1987–1989
Age 15–18
Discovered by Imran Khan
Born in Burewala in Pakistan's Punjab and raised partly in Sharjah, Waqar Younis was a natural all-round athlete — a runner, javelin thrower and high-jumper — who began as a leg-spinner before the lure of raw pace took hold. After only six first-class matches, fate intervened: captain Imran Khan caught sight of the teenager bowling on television, then came to the ground to see him finish. On 16 November 1989 — his eighteenth birthday — Waqar made his international debut against India, the very same match in which Sachin Tendulkar first appeared, and announced himself instantly with four wickets that included both Tendulkar and the great Kapil Dev.
1990–1992
Age 18–20
Arrival of the Burewala Express
Pace and a thunderbolt action soon earned him the nickname the "Burewala Express," and English audiences were early to recognise his class. Playing for Surrey in 1991, he claimed 113 first-class wickets at 14.65 apiece, topping the season's bowling averages while shouldering major responsibility for the county attack. The performances were so emphatic that Wisden named him one of its Cricketers of the Year for 1992, a significant honour for so young a bowler. Already he was being spoken of among the leading fast bowlers in the world.
1992–1999
Age 20–27
The two Ws at their peak
Alongside Wasim Akram, Waqar formed one of cricket's defining new-ball partnerships — "the two Ws" — opening the Pakistan attack throughout the 1990s. His signature was reverse swing bowled at pace: a late, banana-curving yorker that homed in on the batsman's toes and became one of the era's most recognisable deliveries. The records came quickly — the fastest man to 300, 350 and 400 one-day wickets, and the only bowler to claim five-fors in three consecutive ODIs. He crowned the decade as part of the Pakistan side that reached the final of the 1999 World Cup.
2000–2004
Age 28–32
Captaincy and a dignified farewell
Leadership came to him remarkably early — he remains the youngest Test captain in Pakistan's history, having first led the side aged just 22. Handed the captaincy through the 2003 World Cup, he set a benchmark that still stands, recording the best bowling figures by any captain in ODI history with 7 for 36. He drew the curtain on a near fifteen-year international career in 2004, finishing with 373 Test wickets and 416 ODI wickets — 789 at the highest level. His Test strike rate of 43.4 remains the best of any bowler to have taken more than 350 wickets.
2005–2011
Age 33–39
From playing great to first coaching chapter
After closing his playing career, Waqar turned the detail of fast bowling into his second act. He first served Pakistan as bowling coach from 2006, then became head coach in 2010. At the 2011 World Cup Pakistan topped their group and beat West Indies by ten wickets in the quarter-final before reaching a high-profile semi-final against India. For a former express bowler whose career had been built on late swing and precision, coaching became a way of passing on timing, confidence and the craft behind pace.
2012–2019
Age 40–47
Hall of Fame and return to the dressing room
In December 2013 Waqar was inducted into the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame, joining Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram among Pakistan's honoured greats. He returned for another spell as Pakistan head coach and, in 2019, was appointed bowling coach, a role that kept him close to the country's next generation of fast bowlers. His influence also travelled through franchise cricket and broadcasting, where the reverse-swinging yorker remained a language everyone wanted him to explain.
2020–July 2026
Age 48–54
Current to July 2026: broadcast authority and mentor
Waqar's modern role is a blend of analysis, mentorship and national memory. He has remained a regular commentary voice across major cricket coverage, including Pakistan Super League and Asia Cup broadcasts, and in 2024 the PCB named him among the mentors for its domestic Champions competitions. As of July 2026, that late-career position suits him: a Hall of Fame fast bowler still close enough to the game to shape young players, but senior enough to speak with the authority of someone who changed the craft.
— In Frame
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— Honours & Records
Career
373 Test wickets
In 87 Tests at 23.56 — reverse swing at its most lethal.
Career
416 ODI wickets
The thunderbolt yorkers of the Burewala Express.
2013
ICC Hall of Fame
Inducted among the game's honoured names.
1992
Wisden Cricketer of the Year
113 wickets at 14.65 for Surrey in 1991.
Career
7 for 36
Among the finest one-day bowling spells ever recorded.
1993
Youngest Pakistan Test captain
Led his country at just 22 years old.
— In Their Words
What the game says about Waqar
“He was certainly the king of reverse swing.”
“Waqar Younis announced himself as one of the finest contemporary bowlers and hinted that in time he may achieve the greatness which, it seems, has already been thrust upon him.”
— By the Numbers
Matches
Runs
Wickets
Highest Score
— Career Fingerprint
The shape of a legend
Five career dimensions, each scaled against our roster. Hover or tap any point for the real figure.
Tap any point for the full story
— Honours
- ICC Cricket Hall of Fame
- Wisden Cricketer of the Year 1992
- 789 international wickets
- Pioneer of the reverse-swinging yorker
— For Partners
Working with Waqar
Measured leadership and technical authority — well suited to settings where substance leads.
Discuss an opportunityWhere the fit is
- Leadership & Performance
- Coaching & Education
- Premium Hospitality
- Broadcast & Media
How to work together
- Coaching Masterclass
- Keynote & Q&A
- Media & Commentary
- Corporate Hospitality
Markets
- Pakistan
- India
- Bangladesh
- UAE
- Gulf
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- USA
— Presence
Where Waqar reaches
A trusted voice with a global cricket following — strongest across Pakistan, India and Bangladesh, through the UAE and the wider Gulf, and on to the UK, Australia and the USA — carried every season through the commentary box and the coaching circuit.
Latest · 2025 · Geo Super
Joined the commentary panel for the Asia Cup 2025
Work with Waqar
We handle the right opportunities with care — brand work, appearances, media, and moments where Waqar's presence can genuinely add weight.
