Wasim Akram: The Original Sultan of Swing
Wasim Akram: Is He The Greatest Swing Bowler Ever?
In cricket, If you talk about the art of swing bowling, various bowlers come to mind, but close to the top of that list is Pakistani great, Wasim Akram.
He was an exceptional left-arm fast bowler, and he is considered to be the founder of, and one of the best exponents of reverse swing bowling.
Wasim became the first bowler in ODI cricket to reach 500 wickets and in 2002, Wisden named him as the best bowler of all time in ODIs, ahead of greats such as Allan Donald, Imran Khan, and Glenn McGrath.
Wasim Akram’s Early Life
Wasim Akram, was born on 3rd June 1966 to Chahudhary Muhammad Akram, a Punjabi Muslim Arain family in Lahore, Punjab.
He was brought up in a middle-class family in Modeltown, completed his early studies from Cathedral School, and took a very keen interest in playing table tennis. His father was a businessman, and Wasim spent his teenage years with his grandparents.
All due credit to his grandfather, who was passionate about cricket and introduced him to the game. Akram pursued his studies in fine arts at Islamia College but soon left a positive mark on the local cricket club, bringing him to the attention of the selectors and the international side.
Unsurprisingly, he made his way through a set of young, talented cricketers.
Wasim Akram’s Test Cricket Statistics
Wasim Akram was one of the greatest red ball bowlers.
He played 104 test matches, claiming 414 wickets at an average of 23.62 and took 25 5-wicket halls. Among these, he took two Test hat-tricks.
His best bowling figures in a test match were 7/119.
As great as he was with the ball in hand, he was also quite useful with the bat and came late down the order and scored some runs with the tail-enders. He scored 2898 runs, including three tons and seven half-centuries at an average of 22.64. This included a double ton against Zimbabwe.
Wasim Akram - ODI Statistics
He played 356 ODI matches and took 502 wickets at an average of 23.52.
This included six 5-wicket halls.
His best bowling figures were 5/15.
With the bat, he scored 3717 runs consisting of six 50’s and an average of 16.52.
Wasim Akram Career Batting and Bowling Statistics
Wasim Akram - Records:
As he was so good at what he did, the King of Swing holds many records. One of his most noteworthy achievements is that he was the first bowler to take 400 wickets in both forms of the game, ODI and Test Cricket.
He also is the only cricketer to take four hat-tricks, two in each form of the game. Moreover, he has the highest score by a no.8 batsman of 257 runs not out against Zimbabwe.
As he was a great leader, he led from the front and took the most ODI wickets as a captain (158). He also held the record for the most number of wickets in Cricket World Cups. He took 55 wickets in 38 matches. Later this record was broken by McGrath.
Match Winning Performances:
1992 World Cup
Every team needs a match-winner, and Wasim Akram on his day could turn amatch on his head. One example of such a performance was in the 1992 World Cup final. Wasim Akram early in the chase got Ian Botham out for a duck, which slowed down their innings.
Then in his second spell he came back and got Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis with successive deliveries putting the breaks on England's chase as their batting backbone was broken by his magical deliveries. He also added 33 off 18 balls with the bat. He was adjudged the Man of the Match for his brilliant performance.
Asia Cup Final 1990
Another example is his brilliant hat trick in Austral Asia Cup Final in 1990, which was his second hat trick in ODI helped Pakistan seal the game by 36 runs. Once again proving his worth with the bat, he smashed an unbeaten 49 runs to help Pakistan reach a respectable 266. Due to his match-winning performance, he was declared Man of the Match in this game as well.
Beyond and After Cricket:
The famous cricketers' era came to an end when he retired in 2003 due to allegations of match-fixing, countless injuries, and diabetes. Apart from cricket, Wasim was also a part of the modelling team at the Pantene Bridal Couture week 2011, which was an event of Style 360.
He has hosted a few television shows in both Pakistan and India, including GEO Khelo Pakistan and the Sportsman show. He took up commentary for television networks and is now a part of ESPN and ARY Digital, amongst many others.
He also did television ads as part of his media career and took up coaching as a career too. In 2010, Akram was appointed as the bowling coach of the great Indian Premier League team, Kolkatta Knight Riders. Since then, Akram has played an important role in the grooming and training of Indian pacers like Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav, who undoubtedly owe their success in international cricket to the bowling legend. While working for the Kolkata Knight Riders, he was also responsible for the signing of Pakistani domestic left-arm fast-bowler Mohammad Irfan.
Furthermore, he has coached in various bowling camps and saw the raw potential in numerous bowlers, namely Mohammad Amir and Junaid Khan. Moreover, he worked as a director and coach for Islamabad United and Multan Sultans in Pakistan Super League. He is now the chairman and bowling coach of Karachi Kings – another team playing in PSL.
