Waqar Younis Resigns as Pakistan Coach

Lahore: Pakistan's head coach Waqar Younis resigned on Monday weeks after his team's humiliating exit from the World Twenty20 tournament at the group stage.

The 2009 champions had been widely blasted by fans following a lacklustre performance with just one victory against lowly ranked Bangladesh and big losses to India, New Zealand and Australia.

"I am resigning from my post today with a heavy heart," he told reporters in Lahore.

The 44-year-old took on the job for the second time in 2014, having previously held the post in 2010-11.

He formed a formidable partnership with Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq to lift the team to number two in the Test rankings late last year, a spot they had previously attained in 2006.

The fast-bowling legend failed, however, to reverse Pakistan's slide in the game's shorter formats, with the team ranked a lowly seventh and eighth place in Twenty20 and one-day internationals respectively.

In his leaked report, Younis criticised the Pakistan Cricket Board's decision to not give him a say in the selection process and blasted the captaincy of Shahid Afridi.

Pakistan's early exit from the World T20, which the West Indies won on Sunday, prompted a wave of criticism in the cricket-mad country, with widespread calls to revamp the country's domestic structure.

Fast-bowling legend Wasim Akram said the team had been exposed in all departments and were miles behind their competitors.

On Sunday Shahid Afridi stepped down as Pakistan's T20 captain but vowed to continue as a player.

Like Younis, 36-year-old Afridi was appointed to his post in 2014, but suffered a slump in both his batting and bowling.