LONDON – Waqar Younis, the country’s former cricket star, is set to ringthe five-minute bell before the third day of England’s Test match againstPakistan at Lord’s.
The ringing of the bell by an international cricketer, administrator orwell-known enthusiast of the sport — an act that has become an honour ofsorts since 2007 — indicates that a Test match is about to start. The saidbell “is located outside the Bowlers’ Bar of the Lord’s Pavilion”,according to the cricket venue’s websitelink>.
Currently commentating on the NatWest Test Series for BBC Test MatchSpecial, Younis is regarded as one of Pakistan’s greatest bowlers whoformed a potent pace partnership with Wasim Akram — one of the mostfearsome bowling duos in the history of the game.
The cricketer took 789 wickets in all for his country, of which 373 wereduring the 87 Test matches he has played, while the remaining 416 were inwhite-ball cricket, as he played in 262 One-Day Internationals (ODIs) forPakistan.
His 17 wickets in three Tests at Lord’s comprised a haul of 5 for 91 in1992, contributing to his selection as one of Wisden’s Cricketers of theYear. In all, he took five wickets in an innings on 22 occasions and tenwickets in a match five times.
An honorary lifelong member of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC), Younis’international career spanned 14 years from 1989 to 2003 before he moved tocoaching in 2006, and, later, into the commentary box.