(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Pakistan coach Waqar Younis Sunday hailed his players' positive and attacking approach after they comprehensively defeated Sri Lanka in all three formats on the islanders' home turf.
Pakistan clinched the second Twenty20 against Sri Lanka in a sensational last-over finish by one wicket to take the series 2-0 on Saturday, capping a successful tour where they also won the Test series 2-1 and one-dayers 3-2.
Waqar said the victory had made him proud of his players, and the team was on the up.
"I would not say that we have become world beaters after winning the whole tour but I would say that we are heading in the right direction," he said via phone from Colombo.
"I think the best thing on this tour was that the mindset of the players has changed towards positive cricket."
The former fast bowler attributed the team's recent success in Tests, where they are now ranked third in the world, to finding the right blend of youth and experience.
"I think for the last one year we have been well settled in Tests as seniors support the juniors and everyone knows how to perform their roles," he said, singling out batsmen Younis Khan and Shan Masood and leg-spinner Yasir Shah for extra praise.
On the one-day series victory, Waqar said the introduction of fresh blood had helped Pakistan improve their fielding and shed the go-slow approach that had hindered them in recent times.
"Azhar Ali, Sarfraz Ahmed, Mohammad Rizwan and Anwar Ali were outstanding," he said.
"The change in world cricket was adopted by us, which was to smash the ball if it is there for a hit," he added, referring to surging run-rates that have become a feature of one-day cricket following the arrival of the Twenty20 format.
Pakistan's victory in the one-day series moved them from ninth in the rankings to eighth, thereby ensuring their qualification for the 2017 Champions Trophy in England.
Pakistan will next tour Zimbabwe, where they play three Twenty20s and as many one-day internationals from September to October.
Meanwhile, Chairman PCB Shaharyar Khan has congratulated T20I captain Shahid Afridi, Team Pakistan, head coach Waqar, manager Naveed Akram Cheema and the entire support staff on giving a superb account of itself on its tour of Sri Lanka by winning rubbers across all three formats.
Pakistan clinched its third series in a row by winning two back-to-back T20Is against world champions, Sri Lanka.
"This is the first time ever that Pakistan has clinched series in all three formats in an away rubber against a front line cricketing nation (Pakistan had previously beaten Bangladesh in all three forms of the game in an away rubber in 2011, and the same year accomplished a similar feat against Sri Lanka in its home rubber at venues in the UAE).
"This indeed is a heart-warming performance by this new-look Pakistan side, and has been celebrated across the country. Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif's congratulatory message is reflective of the celebratory mood of the nation," said PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan.
"On this superb run, the contribution of the coaching staff headed by Waqar Younis must be acknowledged. They worked with different captains in each of three forms of the game to obtain a result that we had not in Sri Lanka for nearly a decade, since 2006 to be precise," added the PCB Chairman.
Speaking from London, Chairman PCB called up Afridi and team manager Cheema to felicitate them on winning its seventh match out of 10 against Sri Lanka in Sri Lanka, sweeping all three series.
Chairman PCB's Executive Committee Najam Sethi also congratulated captain Afridi and the team management on winning the last game of T20I rubber, for a clean sweep in the shortest and newest format of the game.
"On rounding off the tour with victory in the second and final T20I, please convey my congratulations to each member of the team and the coaching and support staff. This is for the first time that Team Pakistan has most convincingly won series in all three formats on an away tour against a top-ranked outfit," Khan said in a message released yesterday.
"Winning seven out of the 10 matches is really overwhelming. You have indeed made the nation proud with your consistent performance. This indeed is a heart-warming performance by this new-look Pakistan side."
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