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"Imran was very honest on the field and would appreciate honesty on the field" : Waqar Younis
Waqar Younis speaking on BBC Radio:
What was your favourite dismissal?
I got Dean Jones out once at Melbourne. I think he got 70-odd. It was a crucial time and I cleaned him up.
I tell him all the time, whenever I see him. I don't remind anyone else - he's the only one. We work together in the Pakistan Super League. Whenever we meet up, it's the first thing I remind him of.
Who is the best batsman you played against?
Brian Lara is definitely the best batsman I bowled at.
On any given day anybody can take you on, but Lara scored a few hundreds against us in Tests and ODIs. I was never scared of him and I got him out a couple of times for ducks.
But if it was his day, he would really punish you. He was hard to bowl to because he would hit you around even on good deliveries. Sachin Tendulkar was a great batsman but he was a player who would defend if you bowled close but then put away the bad balls.
Lara would try to take you on every delivery.
When will Test cricket return to Pakistan?
The last Test in Pakistan was 2009. It has been tough for the guys. Administrators are working on it slowly. It's going to take time. I'm hearing there are more Pakistan Super League games next year. And Zimbabwe and West Indies have had one-day tours there.
It's still early days but I would reckon it's another couple of years before Test match cricket returns. The people there are hungry for cricket.
Captaincy memories
I remember playing against England in a one-day game in India when the ball was swinging big time. I had three slips and a gully in a one-day game because it was swinging that much. I kept beating the bat with outswingers and I was itching to bowl the inswinger. On the way back to my mark, I'd ask Imran if I could bowl it and he'd say no.
For the first three, four years he would stand at mid-off and tell me what delivery to bowl. There was usually no way in the world I would do anything he'd not told me to do.
In India the grounds were massive. After the fourth outswinger I'd had enough, and I bowled the inswinger but pitched it up too much and Allan Lamb flicked me through mid-wicket to the boundary as there were seven fielders on the off side. Imran went to get the ball from the stands, came up to me and asked, "What did you do?" I couldn't lie. And I can't repeat on radio what he said to me.
Who was the strictest captain you played under?
Strictness can be on-field or off field. On-field - Imran Khan was the best captain.
Imran was very honest on the field and would appreciate honesty on the field. He would give you it there and then and not wait to get back in the dressing room.
What speed does a fast bowler need to bowl at to be successful in all conditions?
Pace is important, it helps. But I still believe in different bowlers for different conditions. You saw what James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes did yesterday. When Australia come here they struggle - they have pace but not bowlers who can hit the seam.
In South Africa and Australia you need pace to survive - if you bowl 80mph and aren't tall enough to extract bounce, then you're going to struggle.
Were you and Wasim Akram friends or rivals?
Myself and Wasim are friends. We had a rivalry on the field to try and do better than the other. That helped Pakistan - it was a healthy relationship. We are still good friends. We spend the lunch breaks here together, share our memories and cherish them.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/43870805
Waqar Younis speaking on BBC Radio:
What was your favourite dismissal?
I got Dean Jones out once at Melbourne. I think he got 70-odd. It was a crucial time and I cleaned him up.
I tell him all the time, whenever I see him. I don't remind anyone else - he's the only one. We work together in the Pakistan Super League. Whenever we meet up, it's the first thing I remind him of.
Who is the best batsman you played against?
Brian Lara is definitely the best batsman I bowled at.
On any given day anybody can take you on, but Lara scored a few hundreds against us in Tests and ODIs. I was never scared of him and I got him out a couple of times for ducks.
But if it was his day, he would really punish you. He was hard to bowl to because he would hit you around even on good deliveries. Sachin Tendulkar was a great batsman but he was a player who would defend if you bowled close but then put away the bad balls.
Lara would try to take you on every delivery.
When will Test cricket return to Pakistan?
The last Test in Pakistan was 2009. It has been tough for the guys. Administrators are working on it slowly. It's going to take time. I'm hearing there are more Pakistan Super League games next year. And Zimbabwe and West Indies have had one-day tours there.
It's still early days but I would reckon it's another couple of years before Test match cricket returns. The people there are hungry for cricket.
Captaincy memories
I remember playing against England in a one-day game in India when the ball was swinging big time. I had three slips and a gully in a one-day game because it was swinging that much. I kept beating the bat with outswingers and I was itching to bowl the inswinger. On the way back to my mark, I'd ask Imran if I could bowl it and he'd say no.
For the first three, four years he would stand at mid-off and tell me what delivery to bowl. There was usually no way in the world I would do anything he'd not told me to do.
In India the grounds were massive. After the fourth outswinger I'd had enough, and I bowled the inswinger but pitched it up too much and Allan Lamb flicked me through mid-wicket to the boundary as there were seven fielders on the off side. Imran went to get the ball from the stands, came up to me and asked, "What did you do?" I couldn't lie. And I can't repeat on radio what he said to me.
Who was the strictest captain you played under?
Strictness can be on-field or off field. On-field - Imran Khan was the best captain.
Imran was very honest on the field and would appreciate honesty on the field. He would give you it there and then and not wait to get back in the dressing room.
What speed does a fast bowler need to bowl at to be successful in all conditions?
Pace is important, it helps. But I still believe in different bowlers for different conditions. You saw what James Anderson, Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes did yesterday. When Australia come here they struggle - they have pace but not bowlers who can hit the seam.
In South Africa and Australia you need pace to survive - if you bowl 80mph and aren't tall enough to extract bounce, then you're going to struggle.
Were you and Wasim Akram friends or rivals?
Myself and Wasim are friends. We had a rivalry on the field to try and do better than the other. That helped Pakistan - it was a healthy relationship. We are still good friends. We spend the lunch breaks here together, share our memories and cherish them.
https://www.bbc.com/sport/live/cricket/43870805
