Ricky Ponting, the outgoing Australian batsman, has expressed that Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram were two of the most difficult bowlers he faced in his long international career.

The former Australia captain announced his retirement from Test cricket before the start of the third Test of the three-match series against South Africa at Perth, after a run of poor performances in the competition. The Tasmanian had already called it a day from the limited-over sport earlier this year.

The 37-year-old cricketer could not make an impression in his last Test as well, scoring just 12 runs in the two innings, failing to help his team save the series, losing the last match by a massive margin of 309 runs.

While talking to the media representatives after the match, the legendary batsman expressed that Ambrose and Akram were the toughest bowlers for him to cope with. Ponting expressed that the lanky West Indian had an immaculate line and length, which made him a great bowler.

“I think Curtly Ambrose and Wasim Akram were probably the two outstanding quicks that I faced, and for different reasons. Ambrose for his ability to just make you feel like you couldn’t score off him for long periods of time, never felt like he was going to bowl you a bad ball,” said the former Aussie skipper.

With more than 27 thousand runs at the highest stage of the game and 71 centuries, Ponting is surely one of the greatest batsmen of all times. On top of that, the Tasmanian is considered as one of the most successful international captains, having led the Kangaroos to consecutive World Cup victories in 2003 and 2007.

Ponting also commented on the former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, and said that the left-armer was a phenomenal bowler because of his ability to bowl magical deliveries at any stage of an innings.

“Akram for the exact opposite, you could get a few runs off him, but you just knew there was an unplayable ball around the corner, be it with an old ball or with a new ball,” the great cricketer added.

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Legendary cricketer and former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, is delighted to see Yuvraj Singh successfully battling against cancer and making a return at the global arena.

The all-rounder from Punjab was out of international cricket since the series against West Indies last year and also missed the Indian Premier League’s (IPL’s) fifth edition, where he was supposed to lead the Pune Warriors India.

The stylish middle-order batsman returned to the world-stage during the just-finished T20 series against New Zealand , scoring a 26-ball 34, which included a boundary and a couple of massive hits out of the park.

The all-rounder is also an integral part of India’s World T20 plans and will have to perform well with both, bat and ball if the Men in Blue have any chance of regaining the title. Yuvraj has a tendency of delivering the goods on big stages, having received the Player of the Tournament award in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011.

Wasim is jubilant to see the hard-hitting batsman back in the Indian colours but feels that he will have to work extremely hard to get back to his best.

“It was great to see Yuvraj back in the field. I saw his quick-fire 34 off 26 balls against the Kiwis in Chennai. Typically, Yuvraj connected a few lusty blows but his timing has to get sweeter. I am sure everyone’s going to watch him closely in Sri Lanka,” Akram said.

India are currently going through a dilemma regarding the team selection, with their four bowlers not looking at the peak of their game at the moment, especially after their warm-up fixture against Pakistan, where the Men in Blue failed to defend a big total.

Wasim is of the view that Mahendra Singh Dhoni possesses the luxury of batsmen who can role their arm over with the ball.

“For a 20-20 game, India have several all-rounders and that will enable Dhoni pick four specialist bowlers and seven batsmen,” the great cricketer added. “The fact that Sehwag, Raina, Yuvraj and Kohli are decent bowlers is a great bonus for Team India.”

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Pakistan’s former captain Wasim Akram feels that the Australian team has no clue how to play spinner Saeed Ajmal.

Australia won the first ODI in Sharjah, but was beaten in the second ODI at Abu Dhabi with heavy dew making life difficult for the bowlers on Friday night.

Wasim felt that the biggest advantage for Pakistan was that the Australians had no clue on how to play Ajmal.

“They can’t pick his off-break from his doosra and that shows the quality of the bowler,” the Daily Times quoted Wasim, as saying.

He said this was the reason Ajmal had already picked up seven wickets in just two matches without conceding too many runs.

Ajmal, who has been the top wicket-taker in Tests for the calendar period starting from July 2011 to August 2012 was included in the ICC’s Test Team of the Year but was not nominated for any other category of the annual awards.

His omission came as a surprise to many as he also finished at number two in the list of leading wicket-takers in ODIs for the same period assessed by the ICC while picking their final nominations.

Courtesy: THE INDIAN EXPRESS

Legendary pacer Wasim Akram feels the negative mindset of Pakistan batsmen is the main reason behind their poor performance in limited-over games of late.

“I think the team management, including the coach, also needs to install confidence in the players. They need to tell these players to go out and play their natural game,” Akram told Geo News channel.

Wasim Akram’s comments came after Pakistan faced a four-wicket defeat at the hands of Australia in the opening One Day International of the three-match series, played at Sharjah, UAE, on Tuesday.

In the series opener, the Pakistan batsmen once again failed to put up a par total on the board, as the whole team was bowled out for just 198 in 45.1 overs. Seven batsmen fell for single digit scores.

The Men in Green looked in a position to post a respectable total after reaching 160 for four in the 36th over, courtesy Asad Shafiq (56) and Umar Akmal (52). But they failed to cross the 200-run mark, after losing their last six wickets for just 38 runs in the next 10 overs. The meagre total was comfortably chased down by the mighty Aussies, in the penultimate over, with four wickets to spare.

- Wasim Akram urges Pakistan batsmen to play their natural game

Wasim Akram, the veteran of 104 Tests and 356 ODIs, noticed that the Pakistan batsmen were afraid of playing shots during the powerplays. He urged the top order of Pakistan to change its mindset and play aggressive cricket, at least in the mandatory powerplay.

“The power play period must be utilised fully. I feel our batsmen are scared to play their natural and are getting into trouble,” said the left-arm pacer.

It may be noted here that on Tuesday, Pakistan lost three wickets in the mandatory powerplay and three in the batting powerplay.

After an impressive 2011 season, Pakistan cricket team has been struggling to impress in the limited-overs format since the start of this year. They faced a 4-0 whitewash at the hands of England in February and recently lost an ODI series to Sri Lanka with a 3-1 margin. Batting has been their major let down in both the series.

The second ODI between Pakistan and Australia will be played at Abu Dhabi on August 31.

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The former Test captain, Wasim Akram, has come out in support of Umar Gul and thinks that the right-arm fast bowler can still be an asset for Pakistan, if he enhances his ability of adjusting to different formats of the game.

The 28-year-old cricketer was expected to be Pakistan’s spearhead, once Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif were banned from competitive cricket in 2010. The fast bowler from Peshawar however, has been a real disappointment and extremely inconsistent, although the right-armer has won matches for the country on occasions.

Gul has been absolutely brilliant in the shorter formats of the game, especially in T20 cricket, playing a major role in his country’s title triumph in the ICC World T20 2009, which was held in England. His performances in Test cricket however, have been found wanting more often than not.

In the recently concluded tour of Sri Lanka, the fast bowler could only manage one scalp in the two Tests, playing a role in his team’s downfall in the series.

Akram is of the view that the skinny fast bowler still has a bright future in international cricket but urged him to work on the mental aspect of his game and bowl according to the format he is playing in.

“I don’t think Umar Gul is a spent force. He is a quality bowler. His main problem is that he is unable to define a role for himself in the team. He is unable to adjust his bowling according to the different formats of the game,” the former captain expressed.

Wasim Akram shows confidence in Umar Gul!

The former left-arm fast bowler appreciates the cricketer’s performances in T20 cricket but feels that Gul fails to adapt to the five-day format.

“He is bowling the same in Tests and the same in Twenty20 and that is hurting his performance,” Wasim said.

Like most international cricketers, Akram thinks that Test cricket is the pinnacle of the game and a player must prove his ability on the ultimate stage of cricket.

He added, “The bowlers will have to realise that Test cricket is still the ultimate test for any bowler. Unless you are successful in this format you can’t be really be regarded as world class.”

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Wasim Akram, the former Test skipper, is happy with Pakistan’s squad for the ICC World T20 2012 and believes that the senior players can help the country clinch the title for the second time.

Historically, the Green Shirts have done remarkably well in the glamorous tournament, being the only team to have qualified for the semi-finals of all the three events held so far.

The selectors gave chances to a number of young cricketers for the T20 series against Sri Lanka, held last month. However, they have opted for experienced cricketers like Abdul Razzaq, Imran Nazir and Kamran Akmal for the all-important competition, which will be played in Sri Lanka in September/October.

Some of the game’s pundits have slammed the policy of ignoring the younger players like Hammad Azam, Khalid Latif and Haris Sohail, who have been doing well in domestic cricket.

However, Akram, who is amongst the legends of the game, praised the management’s strategy and feels that big players are required for big events. Akram thinks that the trio, which is returning to international cricket after a long time, can turn the tables for Pakistan in the competition.

The former Test captain is of the opinion that the wicketkeeper/batsman, Kamran Akmal, is one of the top batsmen in the shortest format of the game.

The former left-arm fast bowler said, “This is a very good move by coach Dav Whatmore and the PCB. Pakistan are targeting their second title and players like Nazir, Razzaq and Akmal are the right choice over the youngsters. Nazir is very consistent, Razzaq is also doing well in County cricket, and in my view Kamran is the best opener in T20 cricket.”

Some of the Pakistani batsmen have been criticized in the past for their poor strike-rate and Wasim wants a changed approach from the Green Shirts in the forthcoming tournament.

“Pakistan have to change their mind-set in this format of the game. A strike-rate of 90 is good in one-day cricket but for T20 you need a strike-rate of 130-plus,” Akram mentioned.

The Men in Green will gain great practice before the tournament, when they take on Australia for a three-match T20 series in UAE.

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The former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram, thinks that Shahid Khan Afridi was the best choice to lead Pakistan in the forthcoming ICC World T20 2012, but said that Mohammad Hafeez can also turn out to be a good leader in future.

Boom Boom was replaced by Misbah ul Haq last year as the limited-overs captain, after his differences with the then Chairman of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), Ijaz Butt.

The cricketer from Sargodha took charge of the national team in the T20 format last month, starting his stint by leveling the T20 series in Sri Lanka.

The former Pakistan captain believes that Afridi did a great job in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, helping the Green Shirts reach the semi-final of the tournament and also finishing the tournament with the most number of wickets, along with India’s Zaheer Khan.

Akram expressed that Hafeez is still inexperienced at the ultimate level of the game and thinks that the board should have utilized the all-rounder’s abilities. The legendary cricketer slammed the authorities’ short-sightedness and negliegence of Pakistan’s interests in the sport.

“I think it is too early to name Mohammad Hafeez the captain of the side. You can’t ignore Afridi’s experience,” the former Test captain said. “He also led the team to the semi-finals in the 2011 World Cup against India and should have been given another stint at the top. But that’s Pakistan cricket for you!”

Akram however, believes that Hafeez is a brilliant cricketer, possessing the ability to deliver the goods at the world-stage, both as a player and as a captain.

While talking about Pakistan’s chances in the mega event, the former great said that the Green Shirts have a massive chance to lift the illustrious tournament for the second time, taking into account Pakistan’s depth in both departments of the game.

“Hafeez has the potential to handle pressure, he is a good all-rounder and I believe he can do well as long as he enjoys his game and remains positive. I think Pakistan have a very good chance to win the tournament and bring the Cup home once again,” he thinks.

Source: BETTOR.COM

Basit Ali, the former Pakistan batsman, has urged Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to appoint a bowling and batting coach as soon as possible, so that Dav Whatmore’s job is made easier. The Karachi-based analyst believes that former Test fast bowler; Mohammad Akram is the best choice at the moment to guide the young bowlers.

The Green Shirts are without the services of a bowling coach since the series against England, which was played in United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this year. The ex-bowling coach, Aaqib Javed resigned from the post during the tour.

PCB has shortlisted some candidates for the role but has not finalised any name. The list includes the former cricketer, Mohammad Akram, who played nine Tests and 23 One Day Internationals for Pakistan in 1990s and 2000s.

While talking to Pakpassion, Basit expressed that the legendary fast bowler, Wasim Akram, could have been the best choice for the country but understands that he has availability issues and cannot travel with the national team throughout the year.

In the given resources, the former middle-order batsman thinks that Mohammad Akram is the best option for PCB.

“I feel Wasim Akram could have been the best choice but since he is busy, Mohammad Akram is the right man for this job. He has played international cricket and he is a qualified coach as well. Pakistan also should have a batting coach, I think Ijaz Ahmed or Moshin Khan can be given this responsibility,” said Basit.

Wasim is currently playing the same role with the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), which won the recently concluded fifth season.

Basit thinks highly of Whatmore but believes that the former Australian cricketer can do a better job with the Pakistan team, if PCB appoints specialist coaches to assist him.

He added, “Pakistan must appoint bowling and batting coaches to help Dav Whatmore – we need to have a bowling coach and batting coach with the team. “

Pakistan team is currently touring Sri Lanka, where they have levelled the T20 series and are presently competing in the five-match One Day International series, which will be followed by three Test matches.

Courtesy: BETTOR.COM

Continued from the previous part…

Wasim, on the other hand, had the ability to swing the ball both ways and had incredible variations up his sleeves. Because of a quick-arm action, Akram could trouble even the best of the batsmen. The left-arm fast bowler soon developed an ability to bowl Yorkers at will and that’s why he was able to record two limited-overs hat-tricks very early in his career. In 1999, the greatest left-arm fast bowler of the game picked up two Test hat-tricks as well. He is the only bowler in the history of the game to have achieved this landmark.

Wasim was appointed the captain of the national team in 1993 but the all-rounder could not develop understanding with the players and some of the senior players revolted against him a year later. However, Akram regained the captaincy later in his career and turned out to be one of the most successful captains in Pakistan’s cricketing history. Pakistan came close to winning the ICC Cricket World Cup 1999 in England under the captaincy of Akram but succumbed under pressure in the final against Australia.

Pakistan’s World Cup winning campaign of 1992 remains the peak of Wasim’s illustrious career. The all-rounder played a crucial role for his team throughout the tournament and was named as the Man of the Match in the final against England.

With 502 wickets in One Day International cricket at an average of only 23.52 and 414 Test scalps at 23.62, Akram will always be remembered amongst the legends of the game. The left-arm fast bowler is very rightly included in International Cricket Council’s Hall of Fame.

Apart from his matchless bowling skills, Wasim was extremely destructive with the bat as well. The left-hander had the ability to change the course of the game within a short span of time. The lower-order batsman scored three Test hundreds, including an unbeaten 257 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura in 1996.

At the present moment, Wasim is working for Kolkata Knight Riders as a bowling coach and has been doing a tremendous job. Brett Lee, the Australian fast bowler, who plays for the Knight Riders, expressed in a recent interview that Akram had taught him a lot of skills and has no doubts in his mind that the former Pakistani captain is the greatest fast bowler of modern-day cricket.
“Wasim Akram was the best bowler of the world. He has not only taught me how to bowl different deliveries and how to be patient but just general cricket skills. He taught me the in-swinger with the new ball,” said Lee.

The whole cricketing fraternity believes that Akram is one of the most talented cricketers of all times but the left-arm fast bowler had many controversies in his career, including match-fixing allegations and his differences with the teammates. Wasim’s career could have done without those controversies as neither did it give a good name to him nor to his country.

Akram will always be remembered in the history books as one of the finest exponents of fast bowling and will continue to inspire budding left-arm fast bowlers. The world of cricket in general and Pakistan cricket in particular must make best use of Akram’s experience and skills. Former cricketer has the ability to groom emerging players but probably the game of cricket will not see such a left-arm fast bowler again.

Courtesy: BETTOR.COM

Fast bowling is one of the most attractive facets of cricket and when it comes to genuine speedsters, the contribution of Pakistan can never be ignored. Historically, Pakistan has produced a number of out and out fast bowlers, who have threatened even the best of batsmen in the business.

Fazal Mahmood, Khan Mohammad, Sarfraz Nawaz, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis and Shoaib Akhtar are all legends of the game without a shadow of doubt. However, the one man who stands head and shoulders above all of them is the former captain of Pakistan, Wasim Akram.

Cricket analysts from across the globe have a consensus that Akram is the best left-arm fast bowler ever witnessed in the history of the game and there are no two opinions about it.

Wasim started playing club cricket from Ludhiana Gymkhana Lahore in his teenage and he was lucky enough to have been spotted by the selectors during a net-session. He is one of those very few cricketers who made their way to international cricket without playing any first-class cricket.

He picked up a ten-wicket haul in only his second Test match and since then, he never looked back. The fast bowler remained an integral part of the national team for almost two decades.

Akram had a small bustling run-up and it was quite amazing that he could produce immense speed from hardly 12 to 14 paces. The left-arm fast bowler was extremely lucky to have the guidance of Imran Khan during the early days. Wasim has admitted that he would never have been the same bowler without the presence of Khan close to him.

It was Imran who advised young Akram to curtail his run-up in the late 1980s. During an interview, Akram revealed how Imran convinced him to shorten his run-up, if the left-arm fast bowler wanted to prolong his career.

There is no doubt about the fact that Imran groomed a number of young cricketers when he was leading the Green Shirts but one can safely say that Akram was his greatest find. In fact, it will not be wrong to say that Akram surpassed his mentor as a fast bowler. Some of the cricket analysts claim that Akram may not have got the same charisma, as that of Imran, but he is the best cricketer produced by the country.

Along with Waqar Younis, Akram formed one of the most destructive bowling partnerships of all times. The two won numerous matches for Pakistan during 1990s and were unplayable at times with the old ball. The two ‘Ws’ took the legacy of fast bowling of Pakistan to new heights.

The two complimented each other in an amazing fashion. Waqar had extra-pace and a slinging action, which helped him to reverse-swing the old ball. The right-arm fast bowler had a long run-up and he was mentally very tough. Waqar was never ready to accept defeat and snatched victory from opposition’s jaws a number of times.

To be continued …

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