The officials from the Saudi Cricket Centre; Mr. Nadeem Nadwi, Sadiqul Islam, Sameer Nidal Khan, Hamid Rana and MoneyGram official Mr. John Clayman welcoming Wasim Akram.

Wasim_Akram_Jeddah_Hala_Cricket_Academy_Saudi_Arabia_2013

- Wasim Akram signing bats for his fans on location for a TVC shoot, May 07, 2013.

Twitter: @WasimAkramLive, @GameManager.

Wasim Akram (playing for the Asian XI team) sweeps the ball past Moin Khan of Pakistan during the Pakistan v Asian XI at the National Stadium, Karachi, Pakistan, Oct 18, 2000.

Twitter: @WasimAkramLive, @GameManager.

Miandad has spent hours helping the batsmen Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin while Akram has been training the likes of Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Asad Ali and Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan’s former captains Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram are hopeful that the national team can win the upcoming ICC Champions Trophy in England.

The PCB has asked Miandad to assist the batsmen in the national training camp underway in Abbotabad while Akram is also there to work with the pace bowlers.

Both the greats have spent hours working with the players since reaching Abbotabad two days back.

According to details, Miandad, in particular, has spent hours helping the batsmen Misbah-ul-Haq, Asad Shafiq, Umar Amin while Akram has been training the likes of Mohammad Irfan, Junaid Khan, Ehsan Adil, Asad Ali and Wahab Riaz.

Even as the two greats worked with the players, head coach, Dav Whatmore and bowling coach, Mohammad Akram preferred to take a back seat and let them work independently.

“I always say before a major tournament that given the talent we have Pakistan is always among the favourites to win the title,” Akram told reporters in Abbotabad.

“Like Brazil in football we are blessed with a lot of natural talent. I believe that Pakistan has always had this ability of beating any team on its day. I am also confident about our team’s chances in this Champions Trophy,” he said.

Akram said that if the batsmen were able to post enough runs on the board, the bowling attack was capable of bundling out any side in the tournament.

“It will be a tough tournament but I am backing Pakistan because at this time of the year and over the years the pitches at most venues in England have flattened and our batsmen can score a lot of runs. If they do that our bowlers have the ability to win matches,” he said.

He pointed out that despite the absence of experienced pacer, Umar Gul the team was blessed with enough pace and spin talent and could upset any batting line-up. Miandad advised the batsmen to go to England without any pressure.

“I have told them go and play in the Champions Trophy like they would in any other event. If you take the pressure of a big tournament and keep thinking, it does affect your performances,” Miandad said.

He said the Champions Trophy would be a close event because all the participating teams were playing well.

“Pakistan, India, England, South Africa and the West Indies are all balanced outfits and it will boil down to how a team plays on a particular day. There is little to separate the teams which have their own set of strengths and weaknesses,” he said.

Courtesy: NDTV Sports

All these years after he retired, we’re still seeing his legacy play out in Pakistan cricket.

If you’re a pace bowler aspiring to make it big, it’s hard to imagine a more incredible treat than being able to bowl under the watchful eye of Wasim Akram.

You mark out your run-up, get a grip on the seam, and launch into your delivery stride, while Akram stands a few paces behind and assesses your potential. After you’ve delivered the ball, he walks over and points out the areas where you could improve. Then he asks you to have another go, and the process gets repeated a few times.

For ten absorbing days last month, this is precisely what Akram did with a select group of Pakistan’s promising youngsters. The disciples included those already in the national side as well as those knocking on its doors, plus four raw seamers picked from a countrywide talent hunt. The camp convened every morning from 9am to 1pm under Karachi’s blazing April sun.

Akram is almost 47 and has diabetes but you couldn’t really tell. He looks as fit as a panther and spent all those hours out there concentrating and critiquing, without showing any signs of hardship.

Occasionally he felt the need to turn his arm over. As far as he was concerned, this was simply a practical demonstration of his art, but the effect on everybody else was breathtaking. He only bowled off a couple of paces, but the ball still nipped and zipped. Once or twice he merely rolled his arm over from a dead stop. The ball still shot through and swung around. It was the equivalent of Picasso casually slapping paint on a canvas, or Mozart tapping on some piano keys in boredom.

Akram’s talent and career were a gift to Pakistan, and as the years go by it is proving to be the kind of gift that keeps on giving. An intensive hands-on tutorial such as a training camp is but one example of his magic rubbing off. A much greater ripple effect is the flowering of left-arm seamers in Pakistan, which has witnessed a remarkable bloom in recent years.

Approximately 10% of Pakistan’s general population is supposed to be left-handed, but since Akram’s retirement in 2003 there have been far more left-arm seamers at the international level than this figure would predict. Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, Mohammad Irfan, and Rahat Ali – it has been a virtual explosion. There have also been few lesser-known names, including Mohammad Khalil, Samiullah Niazi, Kamran Hussain and Najaf Shah, who each played only a handful of games. If you examine Pakistan’s entire 61-year Test cricket history, there have been 20 players (discounting Gul Mohammed and Ijaz Ahmed) bowling left-arm medium pace or faster ; astoundingly, half of them have appeared in the wake of Akram’s career.

Comparison with other teams brings this phenomenon into even sharper focus. Left-arm seamers entering international cricket in the post-Akram era comprise 30% of Pakistan’s pace-bowling crop, but in the other nine Test-playing teams their collective proportion is only 12%. This two-and-a-half-fold blip demonstrates the extent to which his younger compatriots have been bewitched by Akram’s inspiring spell.

If you examine Pakistan’s entire 61-year Test cricket history, there have been 20 players bowling left-arm medium pace or faster; astoundingly, half of them have appeared in the wake of Akram’s career

Akram’s involvement with the Karachi camp was not limited to technical analysis. He also spent a good deal of face time with the boys, sharing meals and drinks, and telling stories.

One of his themes was the importance of physical training through running laps around the ground, which is imperative for building stamina and reserve. During Akram’s early days in the Pakistan side, the pace-setter for the fast-bowling contingent’s training routine was none other than Imran Khan, and it was unthinkable that the lads would stop running before Imran did. Imran taught them the value of toil and labour, and Akram tried to faithfully pass this lesson on to the attendees of his camp.

He also spoke to the boys about personal grooming, comportment, articulation, and looking the part. Speaking with ease and confidence, looking slim, and sporting trendy shirts and designer shades (not to mention once hobnobbing with a former Miss Universe), Akram is certainly a credible preacher of such advice. To drive the message home, he even had one of Karachi’s leading fashion stylists – a chic beautician who goes by the solitary name Nabila – give pointers to the boys on culture and couture.

It may be early to say how much of Akram’s instruction and wisdom the youngsters managed to absorb, but you can’t deny the value of the exercise. The tradition of learning at the feet of grandmasters is timeless, and it has stood the test of time precisely because it has proved so effective. The Pakistan board deserves a great deal of credit for making it happen, and for assigning resources as a priority. Pakistan’s full-time bowling coach Mohammad Akram was present throughout the duration of the camp, and head coach Dav Whatmore also came in for a couple of days. Chief selector Iqbal Qasim was also present at intervals.

Now if we could only get something similar set up on the batting front. Word is that Javed Miandad and Inzamam-ul-Haq are both available and willing. PCB, what are you waiting for?

Written by: Saad Shafqat
Courtesy: ESPN CRICINFO

The tough-guy fast bowlers of yesteryear might not approve, but Pakistan’s budding young quicks were coached on their appearance at a training camp this week – by a hair stylist.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organised the 10-day camp led by legendary paceman Wasim Akram after concerns were raised over the standard of fast bowlers coming through from the youth ranks.

As well as being drilled in technique and fitness, the players were also given a lecture by top Pakistani stylist Nabila Ahmed on how to look good off the field.
“We wanted to tell the players through Nabila’s lecture how to present yourself as a person which is very important for international players as they are ambassadors of the country,” said Wasim, who indicated that his floppy centre parting may have helped him to snare his 414 Test wickets.

“A good hairstyle and good dress add to your confidence and it can play a very good role in giving someone much-needed confidence.”

Since retiring from cricket Wasim has become a familiar presence on Pakistani TV screens, both as a cricket pundit and in advertisements, and he is keen for his young charges to learn from his slick demeanour.
“As a person you need to look presentable, which I feel has been missing in some of our players,” he said.

Courtesy: FOX SPORTS

Wasim Akram at the Fast Bowlers Camp with PCB and Ufone at the National Stadium, Karachi, he has taken the responsibility to train the bowlers of his country.

Wasim Akram at the Fast Bowlers Camp, 2013 with Wahab Riaz and Junaid Khan.

Sohail Tanvir learning tricks of the trade from Wasim Akram at the Fast Bowlers Camp, 2013.

Mohammad Irfan learning it all from the legend himself.

A magician’s craft is what he is known by...

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The Fast Bowlers camp with Wasim Akram hosted by the Pakistan Cricket Board will commence on April 20, 2013 at the National Stadium, Karachi.

Kolkata: Kolkata Knight Riders bowling coach Wasim Akram is taking a break from the Indian Premier League (IPL) this year to spend more time with his family. He tells Gulf News he’s not sure if he’ll be back for 2014.
The legendary Pakistan pacer is back in his home country as the Knight Riders tackle IPL 6, with veteran player Brett Lee filling in his backroom position in his stead.

Akram, whose wife Huma died in 2009, is glad to be spending time with sons Tahmoor and Akbar and insists he can’t commit to returning to KKR as planning ahead is very difficult due to the constantly changing nature of the sport.
In a wide-ranging interview, Akram also discussed the influence of Imran Khan, the India-Australia Test series, the strength of South Africa and what the future might hold for Pakistan.

Where will you be in the world during the IPL?
In Lahore bhai (brother). I have not met my parents for a long time. Dad is 92 now. I cannot forget our house in Model Town where I grew up. Huma first came to that house. How can I forget that.

But you have built a big house in Karachi?
Yes, it’s a big house with more than 10 thousand square feet of carpeted area. There is a swimming pool on the back side. I wish Huma was there, she could have designed it in a great way.

Was there a house-warming function? Did you invite some special guests?
We just entered the new house but there was no formal function. Neither did I invite anyone. Yes, I had requested my mentor Imran Khan to come and visit the house. But he is so busy with the preparation for the election that he could not come. But he had promised me that whenever he would come to Karachi, he would visit our home. Since my younger days, I have confided in skipper (Khan) about everything. I can proudly say that I did nothing without informing him. Till now, I am living a healthy life under his shadow. What a man! What a personality and what intelligence he possesses. One does not get many such opportunities to be close to such a person.

Won’t your sons play cricket?
No, they are far removed from the game actually. The only thing they say is, ‘Dad, please be with us at home’. I can understand their feelings. They are growing up without their mother. And that is why, just to ensure that I shall be with them, I have decided to skip the IPL this time.

So will you be there during the next edition of the IPL in 2014?
I cannot say now. You cannot predict what will happen in the future. Last year Kolkata Knight Riders were the champions. I could not even think then that I would not be able to be with the team in 2013. In life, nothing is fixed. You have to be prepared to go along the way life takes you.

Since you were commentating on the India-Australia series, you watched it closely. Did the standard of cricket impress you?
It was totally a one-sided affair. I was surprised to see that the Australians did not even try to counter. An impressive youngster like [James] Pattinson was looking lost at the Kotla. I believe he has potential to be a good fast bowler. But in general, the Aussie determination was missing in [captain Michael] Clarke’s team in this series.

What about India’s pace bowling?
Ishant tried to bowl fast but his pace is not above 140km/h. So he needs to add swing. On the other hand, Bhuvneshwar Kumar needs to increase his speed by a few yards. I shall be waiting eagerly to see how Kumar bowls on South African wickets and whether he can trouble the likes of Hashim Amla on their wickets.

Australia seemed to have no planning.
Yes, it was so boring to see such a one-sided Test series. They did not fight at all. It appeared they knew beforehand that they would be losing the series 4-0. When India went there, they lost 4-0. People pointed out rightly that the Indians could not play against genuine fast bowlers. Now the Aussies came to India and lost the series 4-0. People are again right to point out that these Aussie batsmen are really novices against spinners.

Which team is the best in Test cricket now?
South Africa, without an iota of doubt. They are playing well even in away series. You just cannot get Hashim Amla out on any wicket! Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel are bowling well in tandem. They are equally dangerous on any type of wickets. So, yes, they are the best now.

What about Pakistan?
We are gradually improving. Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal are bowling better. In fact, people should remember that even without Mohammad Amer, Pakistan’s bowling is quite good. We are continuously producing young, talented fast bowlers and that has been the strength of Pakistan cricket for so many years. Because of these fast bowlers, Pakistan are always a dangerous side to play against.

Can Pakistan play well in the Champions Trophy in England?
It’s difficult to predict anything about Pakistan cricket. However, I believe that if they can stick to this team, there is every possibility of getting a good result in the Champions Trophy. England in June will be ideal for faster bowlers. It will be seaming and I shall not be surprised to see the Pakistani bowlers getting more wickets there.

By: Debasish Datta, freelance cricket writer based in India.
Courtesy: GULF NEWS