Wasim Akram

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Controversial Career

At his best, Wasim Akram was the finest fast bowler of his generation. There were few skills of the fast bowlers armory which he did not have at his disposal: in addition to his genuine pace, pin point control of line and length and seam position he had complete control over both outswing and inswing. He is also credited with being the first to master reverse swing.

Related Topics:
Seam position - Outswing - Reverse swing

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Wasim made his test debut against New Zealand in early 1985 and in his second test itself made his presence felt with a ten wicket haul. Like a few other Pakistani cricketers of his time, he took a plunge straight from club cricket to international cricket. A few weeks prior to his selection into the Pakistani team, he was an unknown club cricketer who had failed to make it to his college team. His brilliance was spotted by the Pakistani cricket captain: Javed Miandad, who came across him while paying a visit to his club. Later that season he paired with Imran Khan at the World Series Championship in Australia and from that point Imran Khan mentored him into becoming one of the finest fast bowlers the world has ever seen.

Related Topics:
Javed Miandad - Imran Khan

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Wasim's rise in international cricket was rapid during the initial years. When Pakistan toured West Indies in 1988, he looked to be the quickest bowler between the two sides. However, a serious groin injury impeded his career in the late 1980's. Following two surgeries he re-emerged in 1990 as a bowler who focussed more on swing and control than speed.

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With a very deceptive ball-concealing action, Wasim could bowl equally well from both sides of the wicket. He focussed his attack on the stumps, as compared to trying to find the edge of the bat. As a result, "lbw b Wasim Akram" is the 2nd most common form of dismissal not involving a fielder (b Muralitharan being first.) He was gifted with a very effective bouncer and an equally impressive yorker. In partnership with Waqar Younis, he terrorised international batsmen in the 1990s. In 1992 frustrated with the great performance against the English batsmen, the English press started accusing them of ball tampering. In a recent poll, most batsmen said they feared facing Wasim more than any other bowler.

Related Topics:
Muralitharan - Waqar Younis - 1990s

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He was the natural successor to Imran Khan as Pakistan's leader and captain, but a series of match-fixing controversies of the 1990s harmed him, blunting his edge and dimming his lustre. Never a true all rounder (he averaged only 23.62 with the bat), he looked suspect against pace bowling, but very effective against the spinners. He did silence his critics in October 1996 when he plundered a monumental 257 out of a total of 553 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura.

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