By Matthew Allen BBC Sport Online

Former Pakistan Test captains Javed Miandad and Asif Iqbal have given their backing to present skipper Waqar Younis despite the team's humiliating defeat in Sharjah.

Pakistan were bowled out for 59 and 53 in the second match against Australia - their lowest Test scores ever.

But former Pakistan captain and coach Miandad believes the selectors should resist the urge to axe Waqar and make wholesale changes.

"The way they are going the future looks dark," Miandad told BBC Sport Online.

"In the last Test match every batsman threw away their wicket, but you can give them that one Test because they were inexperienced.

"You can't blame these players because the boys have just started and they were playing for the first time against Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne which they found very difficult.

Miandad said Waqar should not be made to shoulder the blame for the poor performance in the last Test.

"If you don't have runs on the board then it is very difficult to judge the captaincy.

"You can't blame the captain at the moment because you can see the team is young. You can't lay the blame with anybody at the moment."

"Making changes is not going to make any difference - you have got to give them time," he said.

"If you chuck them out and replace them with somebody else then you are going backwards."

Iqbal, who captained Pakistan for six Tests in 1979-80, also thinks Waqar should stay.

He blamed the batting collapses on misplaced over-confidence after dropped catches in the first Test allowed Pakistan to post reasonable scores.

"It would be a disaster for Pakistan cricket if Waqar goes," he said.

"It would be wrong for the selectors to make changes before the World Cup because it would be very difficult to gel the team.

"The selectors must accept the fact that these are the best players we have and give them a run in the side to give them confidence.

"All the chopping and changing that has occurred in the past is frankly ridiculous."