Pakistan coach Waqar quitting for medical reasons

KARACHI, (Reuters) – Waqar Younis will quit  as Pakistan coach for medical reasons after next month’s tour of  Zimbabwe, he said today.
Waqar, whose contract was due to run until 2012, announced  his resignation at a news conference in Lahore.
“I have no issues with anyone but because of medical reasons  I have decided I can’t continue as coach after the Zimbabwe  tour,” said the former fast bowler.
“The PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has accepted my  resignation.”
The former test captain was appointed coach after his  national team suffered a poor tour of Australia last year.
Waqar’s resignation comes at a time when the PCB has just  made wholesale changes to the backroom staff, removing  long-serving manager Intikhab Alam and assistant coaches Aaqib  Javed and Shahid Aslam.
The board said the trio needed to give more time to their  duties at the national cricket academy.
Governing board member Naveed Akram Cheema will be the  manager on the tour of Zimbabwe and former test batsman Ijaz  Ahmed is a new assistant coach.
Waqar, 39, took over as coach after Pakistan were  whitewashed in Australia on a tour where he worked as bowling  consultant.
After Pakistan’s tour to West Indies this May, former  one-day captain Shahid Afridi spoke of differences he had with  Waqar over selection issues.
Waqar, who played 87 tests and 262 one-day internationals,  underlined that his decision to resign had nothing to do with  the recent changes in the team.
“I am now living in Sydney with my family and I need to  spend more time there,” he said.
The tour of Zimbabwe includes one test, three one-dayers and  a Twenty20 international.