Pak heading in right direction under Arthur, admits Waqar

Expressing his satisfaction over the performance of the Pakistan cricket team, former head coach Waqar Younis has admitted that the side is currently moving in the right direction under newly-appointed coach Mickey Arthur.

Although Waqar insisted that it would be bit early to comment on the performance of Arthur, he admitted that the former South African player had enabled the team to perform well in the drawn four-match Test series against England.

Considering Arthur as an 'upright person' for the job, Waqar, however, said the real test for the new coach lies in the upcoming series against New Zealand and Australia

"Mickey Arthur is an upright person for the job and his performance as coach looks goods but the real test lies ahead in the series against New Zealand and Australia," Waqar was quoted as saying by the Dawn.

The former paceman also said that the efforts put in by senior players played a pivotal role in the team's recent success in the Test cricket.

"The team has matured in the last five years and the draw against England earlier this year lifted the morale of the players," he added.

In August, Pakistan achieved the top Test ranking for the first time since the existing system was introduced in 2003, thus becoming the fifth team after Australia, England, India and South Africa to lead the standings.

However, India soon displaced Pakistan as the No. 1-ranked Test team following their recently-concluded three-match series whitewash against New Zealand. Arthur's side is now comfortably standing at second position.

Meanwhile, the recent three-match series whitewash against West Indies saw Pakistan lift their ODI rankings by one place to eighth spot and relegate the West Indies to ninth in the fight for a direct entry at the 2019 World Cup.