We often hear this about bowlers, 'He almost made the ball talk', Of all the bowlers I have seen, the man who came closest to doing this was Wasim Akram. Wasim was an absolute magician with a ball in his hand.
I have never seen Akram being taken apart by any batsman for any length of time. Maybe for an over or two. No batsman could ever master him. However flat the pitch maybe, however old the ball maybe, however set the batsman maybe, one always felt that Akram can take a wicket anytime.
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He was just unique. A left-handed fast bowler, with a short run-up with no leap in the air before delivery and a very whippy action. He was just impossible to pick. And his bag of tricks was amazing. He could swing it both ways at speed, he had a deadly yorker, a lethal bouncer, a well disguised change of pace and to top it all his reverse swing with the old ball was just unplayable.
I have seen him make the best batsmen in the world look like a fool. I remember a spell he bowled in 1998 tour to India to Rahul Dravid. Dravid as we know had perhaps the best defensive technique of all batsmen in the last 20 years (along with Kallis). Wasim bowled a series of inswingers at him which he somehow kept out. There was a very close leg before shout too. This went on for a while till he produced a beauty of an outswinger to clip the top of Dravid's off stump. This was a master at work.
I would call Wasim 'Cricket's Number One Box Office Hit'. With his boyish charm and his handsome looks and hair flying all over the place, he was no less than a movie star. Add that to his electrifying presence on the field. With ball or bat in his hand, one could feel that something exciting is waiting to happen. He could change the course of the match with ball or bat in a few minutes. He did this in 1992 World Cup Final. When England looked like running away with the match, Imran tossed the ball to his bowling spearhead. Within minutes Wasim produced two of the best deliveries ever seen in modern Cricket history to dismiss Lamb and Chris Lewis. This virtually sealed the World Cup for Pakistan.
He has done such things on innumerable occasions. He is the only bowler to take 2 hat-tricks both in Test Cricket and ODI's. For quite some time he also held the record of most sixes in a Test Innings. (12) in his innings of 257.
Wasim will always be remembered as the pioneer of reverse swing along with his 'partner in crime' Waqar Younus. The two W's 'Wasim & Waqar', this combination gave many batsmen sleepless nights. They are one of the most successfull bowling pair in the history of the game. At their peak, when they were reverse swinging the ball, one frequently saw batting sides slump from 170-1 to 195 all out. They were just unplayable. They would finish off the tail in minutes. Poor tailenders were like sheep being sent for slaughter.
Another remarkable aspect about Wasim was the joy he exuded when he was on the field. One could clearly see how much he was enjoying the game. His career was filled with many issues but that never diminished his enthusiasm for the game.
When he was made the captain the first time, the whole team rebelled against him. He was not on talking terms with his partner Waqar for many years. And his name came up again and again in the match fixing scandal. Perhaps the taint of match fixing has taken some sheen off his glittering career.
But for many many fans including me, charges of match fixing are just an aberration. Our love for the man and the admiration for his sorcery with the cricket ball will remain forever.
I have never seen Akram being taken apart by any batsman for any length of time. Maybe for an over or two. No batsman could ever master him. However flat the pitch maybe, however old the ball maybe, however set the batsman maybe, one always felt that Akram can take a wicket anytime.
He was just unique. A left-handed fast bowler, with a short run-up with no leap in the air before delivery and a very whippy action. He was just impossible to pick. And his bag of tricks was amazing. He could swing it both ways at speed, he had a deadly yorker, a lethal bouncer, a well disguised change of pace and to top it all his reverse swing with the old ball was just unplayable.
I have seen him make the best batsmen in the world look like a fool. I remember a spell he bowled in 1998 tour to India to Rahul Dravid. Dravid as we know had perhaps the best defensive technique of all batsmen in the last 20 years (along with Kallis). Wasim bowled a series of inswingers at him which he somehow kept out. There was a very close leg before shout too. This went on for a while till he produced a beauty of an outswinger to clip the top of Dravid's off stump. This was a master at work.
I would call Wasim 'Cricket's Number One Box Office Hit'. With his boyish charm and his handsome looks and hair flying all over the place, he was no less than a movie star. Add that to his electrifying presence on the field. With ball or bat in his hand, one could feel that something exciting is waiting to happen. He could change the course of the match with ball or bat in a few minutes. He did this in 1992 World Cup Final. When England looked like running away with the match, Imran tossed the ball to his bowling spearhead. Within minutes Wasim produced two of the best deliveries ever seen in modern Cricket history to dismiss Lamb and Chris Lewis. This virtually sealed the World Cup for Pakistan.
He has done such things on innumerable occasions. He is the only bowler to take 2 hat-tricks both in Test Cricket and ODI's. For quite some time he also held the record of most sixes in a Test Innings. (12) in his innings of 257.
Wasim will always be remembered as the pioneer of reverse swing along with his 'partner in crime' Waqar Younus. The two W's 'Wasim & Waqar', this combination gave many batsmen sleepless nights. They are one of the most successfull bowling pair in the history of the game. At their peak, when they were reverse swinging the ball, one frequently saw batting sides slump from 170-1 to 195 all out. They were just unplayable. They would finish off the tail in minutes. Poor tailenders were like sheep being sent for slaughter.
Another remarkable aspect about Wasim was the joy he exuded when he was on the field. One could clearly see how much he was enjoying the game. His career was filled with many issues but that never diminished his enthusiasm for the game.
When he was made the captain the first time, the whole team rebelled against him. He was not on talking terms with his partner Waqar for many years. And his name came up again and again in the match fixing scandal. Perhaps the taint of match fixing has taken some sheen off his glittering career.
But for many many fans including me, charges of match fixing are just an aberration. Our love for the man and the admiration for his sorcery with the cricket ball will remain forever.
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