Coach Waqar Younis quitting for medical reasons

KARACHI: Waqar Younis will quit as Pakistan coach for medical reasons after next month's tour of Zimbabwe, he said on Saturday.

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.

"Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) 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 was 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-days and a Twenty20 international.

Copyright Reuters, 2011