Wasim Akram was one of the greatest bowlers in the history of cricket and he emerged as the gold standard of left-arm fast bowling that every bowler had to emulate.
Follow Us
In the period of the 70s and the 80s, fast bowlers would intimidate batsmen with pace and bounce. Their bodies would take a battering. However, as the late 80s approached, one bowler emerged on the scene who defied all the previous templates. His repertoire included swing and variations in length. He could come over the wicket and swing the ball both away and in. The left-armer would come round the wicket and manage to get the ball swinging both ways. The yorker would be a potent weapon, the bouncer a sharp surprise.
Wasim Akram changed the entire perception of bowling in ways no one imagined. His mastery of swing and variations in the length made him the greatest. His wrists were nurtured by years of playing Table Tennis. Had he pursued Table Tennis instead of cricket, the sport might have been different. But, it took the mentorship of Imran Khan to make Wasim Akram the ultimate cricketing icon.
When he bowled, he made things happen. He produced deliveries and spells that batsmen was not used to. In the 1988 Test series against West Indies, Akram got the better of the great Sir Viv Richards three out of four times. One particular dismissal was brilliant. In the Barbados Test, Akram got the ball to come back in from over the wicket late and Richards was cleaned up.
This was a precursor to the magic of those two deliveries in the 1992 World Cup final against England in Melbourne. England had kept the fight alive in their chase of 250 against Pakistan. However, when Akram came on to bowl, the entire complexion changed. He got Sir Ian Botham out with a delivery that straightened and leapt up from the pitch. What the world witnessed was sheer sorcery of the highest order.
Akram stayed round the wicket to the right-handers. The batsman was Allan Lamb. The ball cut away from the wicket late at pace. Lamb looked to cover the line but the ball hit the top of off stump. The next ball was to Chris Lewis. Instead of the ball angling in and shaping away, Akram showed his brilliance. The ball was slightly wider of off stump. But, instead of swinging it away, Akram got to curve the ball back in at pace. Lewis looked to defend but the ball hit the off stump again.
In two deliveries, Akram had ended England’s challenge and Pakistan won the World Cup. England would face the brunt of Akram’s brilliance.
In the 1992 series, it was his combination with Waqar Younis that showed the world the power of pace bowling. Akram would slice through oppositions with swing. Waqar would demolish opponents with his pace and reverse swing. The duo produced one of the greatest exhibitions of bowling that saw them win 2-1 in England.
In 1996, one particular delivery from Akram in Trent Bridge stood out. Staying round the wicket, he angled the ball in to Robert Croft as he looked to defend. The ball was curving in but at the last moment, it swerved away and completely went past Croft’s outside edge. The batsman was plumb LBW. But, the umpire thought the batsman had edged the ball and that is why it went to third man. It needed multiple slow-motion replays to have shown how the ball swung twice.
When it came to ODIs, Akram was in a different league. In the death overs, he was at his best with his yorkers and lengths.
Akram has set many benchmarks that might be difficult for bowlers to emulate. He has 502 wickets in ODIs, the most by a pacer and by a left-armer. His tally of 414 wickets has been overhauled by Rangana Herath of Sri Lanka, who is a spinner. His two hat-tricks in ODIs and Tests puts him in a different league.
Not many know about it, but for most of his career, Akram had to battle diabetes. His rigorous work routine and his fitness has ensured that diabetes was kept in bay and he could continue playing cricket.
He has been a mentor for Mitchell Starc and for many Pakistan bowlers growing up. Whenever there is a left-arm pacer and doing well, the yardstick of success remains Wasim Akram. Today, when he turns 55, his legend continues to grow.
Rishabh Pant's explosive last-over blitz ignites IPL 2024 amid T20 World Cup comeback talks
