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 …

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com’s official editorial policy.

Courtesy: BETTOR.COM

Mumbai, Sept 24: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram today ridiculed Shoaib Akhtar and his controversial autobiography, which has made several tall claims, saying the pacer was a ‘problem’ when he was an active player and remains just that even in retirement.

Akram pooh-poohed Shoaib’s claims of making Sachin Tendulkar uncomfortable with his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006 and also rejected some of the other allegations he has made in the book titled ”Controversially Yours”.

“I remember Sachin’s one innings when he was 16 and touring Pakistan. Sialkot Test was Sachin’s 4th Test. He made his debut in that series. There was a lot of grass on the pitch. Waqar and I bowled very fast. Waqar, I think, was 19 and Sachin was 16.

“Waqar hit him (Sachin) on the helmet just below the chin and he got hurt. But he put a plaster and he came back to score a 50. If a 16-year-old kid wasn”t scared, I don’t think any of the top batsmen in the world is scared of any bowler,” Akram told reporters on the sidelines of International Sports Summit here.

“Maybe he might play on the back foot to block the delivery or maybe he might just see it off. But I don’t think a player like Sachin can get scared of any bowler. He (Shoaib) can write anything to sell a book, but it does not affect me or Sachin,” the former left-arm paceman maintained.

On Akhtar’s allegation’s that he was responsible for destroying the former’s career, Akram said no one but the ”Rawalpindi Express” himself was responsible for it.

“I know, Shoaib knows and the entire world knows that he himself is responsible for destroying his career. Nobody helped him (in destroying his career).”

“Whatever PCB (Pakistan Cricket Board) has told the press I agree with that. I am with PCB (on Shoaib). They have said about Shoaib being a problem when he was in team and even now when he is not in the team,” stated Akram, one of the most successful Pakistani cricketers of all time.

“I was the one who made him (Shoaib) play. But I don’t want to go to his level. There is an unwritten contract for sportsmen that you do not tell the personal details of others to the press. So some people are different. I am different from him. It does not bother me. He can go on saying whatever he wants,” the 45-year-old former speedster said.

“There is no point in me talking about his book. I still haven’t read his book. But his idea is good. If the books get sold then good luck to him,” said Akram, adding, “You people (media) will ensure his book is a bestseller.” On India’s disastrous tour of England, the sultan of swing said while the team’s batting failures could be blamed on injuries, not playing rookie pacer Varun Aaron, who has done well in the Emerging Players series Down Under, was inexcusable.

“Indian bowling struggled during the England tour. I was commentating throughout the series. In batting there were a lot of injuries and rightly so because Indian team is a human team. They were playing for a long time. Fair enough.

“In bowling if you see, a youngster like Varun Aaron, who I think is ready to play for India, was sitting out throughout the tour. But you did not play him for the five (ODI) matches.

You groom a bowler. If you give him a chance against England in India, then there is a flat wicket over here. He will get hit and his confidence will get affected. He did well against Australia with the Emerging side (India A).” “Jaidev (Unadkat) is there, Umesh Yadav are other young bowlers who have some pace. There are two-three more bowlers. I will talk about them when they start playing. The idea is to play them,” Akram said.

Courtesy: One India Cricket

MUMBAI: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram on Saturday ridiculed Shoaib Akhtar and his controversial autobiography, which has made several tall claims, saying that the pacer was a “problem” when he was an active player and remains just that even in retirement.

Akram pooh-poohed Shoaib’s claims of making Sachin Tendulkar uncomfortable with his pace in the Faisalabad Test in 2006 and also rejected some of the other allegations he has made in the book titled ‘Controversially Yours‘.

“I remember one of Sachin’s knocks in the Sialkot Test. It was the fourth Test and the wicket had lot of grass, I was 22 and Waqar was 19 and we were very fast,” Akram recalled.

“Waqar hit him on his chin and he came back after taking treatment and scored a 50. If a 16-year-old can’t be scared, I don’t think any batsman can be scared. It hardly matters what Shoaib says,” Akram said.

Akram said Shoaib, who was a controversial figure all through his playing career, was just trying to sell his book with tall claims and also rejected allegations that he tried to destroy the tearaway pacer’s career.

“Whatever the Pakistan Cricket Board says, I am with them. He was a problem when he was in the team and he is a problem when he is out of the team,” Akram said. “He knows, I know and the world knows that he was himself responsible for destroying his career. There is a lot to talk but I don’t want to humiliate him. There is an unwritten code among players that some facts should not be revealed before the media,” he warned.

“You guys (media) will ensure that his book is a bestseller,” he said.

Talking about Indian cricket, Akram said Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s men should brace up for tough times ahead when they tour Australia later this year as fast and bouncy wickets await them Down Under. “The Australia tour will be challenging for India and they should expect bouncy wickets,” he said. Akram also advocated the resumption of bilateral cricket ties between India and Pakistan.
“I am in favour of sporting ties between India and Pakistan. If players of these countries do well against each other, they can do well against anyone,” he said.

Courtesy: Times of India

Retiring Pakistan speedster remembers his contests against Tendulkar ahead of the high voltage ICC Cricket World Cup semis in Mohali.

To play or not to play Shoaib Akhtar in the ICC Cricket World Cup semifinal against India may be the question confronting the Pakistan camp, but any contest between the mercurial Pakistan speedster and Sachin Tendulkar will always be a mouthwatering event to look forward to.

Three shy of 250 ODI wickets, Akhtar probably never expected this opportunity to present itself in this ICC CWC, but given half a chance, he would like to bowl to Tendulkar once more before pulling the curtain on his roller-coaster career.

“A battle with Sachin is always special. Not because of the India-Pakistan rivalry but because of the fact he is a great batsman whose wicket you will always want,” Akhtar told ESPNSTAR.com in a recent interview in Colombo.

Among Akhtar’s most memorable moments is cleaning up Tendulkar for a first-ball duck in the first match of the Asian Test championship at Eden Gardens in February 1999. Akhtar got the back-to-back wickets of Rahul Dravid and Tendulkar, as he finished with an eight-wicket match haul. Pakistan won the Test by 46 runs.

Akhtar remembers Tendulkar’s dismissal quite vividly. “He wasn’t focused and he seemed to be a little ignorant as well. It certainly wasn’t my best ball. I bowled him a full-pitched delivery and I was sure he would straight drive it for a four, but he missed,” reminisced the 36-year-old.

Akhtar doesn’t rate Tendulkar among his top-three batsmen in the world. “He would never take me on, something which an Adam Gilchrist or Brian Lara would do. Sachin is surely a great batsman, but I was never in awe of him,” Akhtar said during the exclusive chat.

Not only Tendulkar’s first-ball dismissal, Akhtar remembers the Asian Test championship match at the Eden Gardens for a controversial run out that cost the Little Master his wicket in the second innings. For the first time in almost 12 years, Akhtar has cleared the air, saying he could not be faulted for the dismissal.

“I wasn’t even looking at Sachin. I was watching the ball. I wish I had four eyes because I didn’t see Sachin going through my groin. He should have avoided me and believe me, there was no element of unfairness. Sachin just got stuck. Bad luck,” Akhtar explained.

Tendulkar’s dismissal inflamed the Eden crowd. Vandalism in the stands forced the police to evict all the fans and the match had to be completed in front of an empty stadium. “It was a sad ending but there was no way we would have recalled Tendulkar. He would then have taken the match away from us,” Akhtar said.

Akhtar has been quite successful against Tendulkar in the World Cup as well. During a World Cup pool A match at Centurion on March 1, 2003, Akhtar denied Tendulkar a well-deserved century. Tendulkar did set up India’s six wicket win, but he edged Akhtar to Younis Khan when on 98!

Both Akhtar and Younis are available in Mohali on Wednesday. Will Pakistan play Akhtar purely because of psychological reasons?

Courtesy: ESPN STAR

Little did anyone know about this bowler who had only taken 2 wickets on his test debut in the November of 1997 against West Indies at Rawalpindi,playing from Pakistani side. He was set to make his debut in 1996 against India in Sahara cup, but was dropped from the squad on the grounds of poor disciplinary behavior. Thus we can say that from the inception of his career controversies shrouded him. But wait! That is too soon to judge a player of the caliber of Shoaib. Injuries and controversies did slow his career and him down, but could not break him, his pace, his determination and his love for his country.

His first breathtaking performance came in the summer of 1998 when he destroyed a formidable South African batting line up in which he dismissed Jaque Kallis, AC Hudson, Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener and PS de Villiers. But the Rawalpindi Express set its journey with full throttle in the Asian Test champonship in 1999 in Kolkata where the pacer dismissed Dravid and legendary Tendulker on two sensational successive in-swinging yorkers. From thereon he was the star for Pakistan and was very critical in the world cup of 1999 in England. Especially in the semi final against New Zealand his fiery spell is still savored by cricket lovers.

Then came the first call on his action and a subsequent season filled with injuries and controversies. Missed most of the 2000 and 2001 season but got clear for action from ICC for the last time. Then came 2002 which was a glorious year for Akhtar, as he proved to be a bolt not only for Kiwis but also for the World Champions Kangaroos. Aah and also he bowled the first ball ever to touch 100 mph. But again he was involved in another ball tampering controversy.

2003-2007 proved mixed years for him as all other seniors and the superstar were dropped after the dismal performance of the National side in the World Cup of 2003. He got banned for tampering the ball again, got banned for abusing on the field to Paul Adams, involved in night club controversy and rapport with Inzimam and Bob Woolmer eroded, performed at peak in series against England, was tested positive for using a banned steroid Nandrolone and got banned again for some time, dropped from the 30-man squad for World Cup 2007 for being unfit (for which he would have been thankful after the abysmal performance of the team) and hit fellow cricketer Muhammad Asif with a bat for which and a couple of other things he got a 13 match ban and a fine of USD57000.

From 2008 onwards it is a rocky career that Shoaib followed. He landed with a five year ban with PCB,which was later repealed and faced a demotion in the Central Contract of PCB,which also was later paid for by PCB when he was selected back in the top category in the new Contract under the new management. He was further embarrased by PCB when the officials disclosed his skin problems in the public. He then made a comeback and did a good job to be selected for the 2011 World Cup. His spell in the World Cup against Sri Lanka was crucial to lead Pakistan to victory.But then, he was declared unfit after a dismal performance against New Zealand and despite the pressure of his fans and his own will, he was not played against India and his career also ended in a way he would have never wanted.

Despite all the controversies and injuries he always proved to be an asset to the Team Pakistan. People judge him by the no of controversies that he got involved in, but he was that Stallion which very people knew to handle. When you are the Fastest and most feared bowler of your time, you are treated differently. Many former captains had opined that if Shoaib was treated in a less strict but normal manner he would have been a much better performer. He, indeed, is a legend who will always be missed by cricket lovers on the field. An era that could have shone much brighter and a legacy that fast bowlers will always want to inherit.

Courtesy: Top Sports Blog.Com
Source: Shoaib Akhter: An Era, a Legend and a Legacy