Waqar Younis says Aamer Sohail's behavior against India in WC was uncalled for

Waqar Younis has revealed that he and the Pakistani team were shocked by Aamer Sohail's behavior during the high-octane 1996 World Cup quarterfinal clash between India and Pakistan at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. After having hit Prasad for a four, Sohail who was the stand-in captain in that contest pointed the bat towards the off-side boundary and warned Venky that he would be hitting him over there once again. 

However, on the very next delivery, the southpaw attempted a big shot only to see his off stump go for a walk as the medium-pacer had the last laugh and gave him a mouthful as he was walking back to the pavilion. This incident has gone on to become a part of the cricketing folklore.

'We were shocked': Waqar Younis

“To be very honest, we were shocked by the way he (Aamer Sohail) was behaving on the field. He was tonking the ball all over the park, why did he need to do that? I guess, the pressure got to him,”  said Waqar while speaking to Hindustan Times.

“He batted superbly, he was looking really good and I think he scored 55 off not many deliveries and Saeed Anwar also. We lost our first wicket when Pakistan were 85-odd  in the first ten overs. We were cruising, and then once we lost Saeed Anwar and then Aamir Sohail straight away, it just went wrong,” the former fast bowler added.

“Inzamam-ul-Haq and Ijaz Ahmed, they went into a shell. And full credit should be given to Anil Kumble, when he came in and Prasad came in for his second spell, he sort of started nipping the ball a little bit. And Pakistan got so much pressure and once we lost Ijaz and Inzamam within an over or so, it became very very difficult,” the ex-Pakistani skipper further added.

“We made quite a few mistakes in that game. Javed Miandad was there, he could have gone in at number four but we kept him at number six, there was no use because he was approaching the end of his career. We kept him for very late, he should have batted at number four. Overall, a good game for cricket and India were well-deserved winners,” said the current Pakistani bowling coach.

 

When India knocked out the defending champions 

Brilliant innings from Navjot Singh Sidhu (93) and Ajay Jadeja (25-ball 45) helped India get to 287/8 in their 50 overs against arch-rivals Pakistan in the 1996 World Cup quarterfinal at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. In reply, Pakistan got off to a solid start. Stand-in captain Aamer Sohail and Saeed Anwar put on an 84-run opening stand. Even after Anwar was dismissed, Sohail anchored Pakistan's run chase. But, after reaching his half-century, he tried to make a statement to pacer Venkatesh Prasad after hitting him to the extra cover fence for a boundary 

However, on the very next delivery, Sohail tried to slash Prasad on the leg side but missed the ball completely and needlessly lost his wicket just as the Pakistan innings was gaining momentum. It turned out to be the turning point of the match as Pakistan lost precious wickets of Ijaz Ahmed and Inzamam-ul-Haq. Veteran batsman Javed Miandad who was playing his final international match tried his best but his run-out ended Pakistan's hopes as India won the contest by 39 runs to qualify for the semi-finals and sent the defending champions out of the tournament.

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