“Sultan of swing” Wasim Akram, captain of the Pakistani national cricket team as well as a cricket commentator, coach, and former player. His designation as the finest left-arm bowler to ever grace the game would not be far off the mark.
Wasim Akram was one of the exceptional players who had never played first-class cricket before making his international debut. He is an absolute master of seam and swing, and occasionally he can throw the ball in both directions at once.
| Born: 3 June 1966 | Nationality: Pakistan |
| Years Active: (1984-2003) | Birth Place: Islamabad, Pakistan |
| Height: 6ft 3in | Role: Bowling all-rounder |
| Batting Style: Left-handed | Bowling Style: Left-arm fast |
| Nickname: Sultan of swing |
Chaudhary Muhammed Akram, father of Wasim Akram was from a village near Amritsar and later moved to Kamonki in Pakistan after the partition.
Begum Akram is his mother. He has two elder brothers Nadeem Akram and Naeem Akram. Sofia Akram is his only sister. He received his education at the Government Islamia College in Lahore's Civil Lines.
In 1995, Akram tied a knot with Huma Mufti. The couple has two sons: Tahmoor (born in 1996) and Akbar (born in 2000). However, unfortunately on October 25, 2009, Huma passed away from multiple organ failure.
Akram got engaged to Australian woman Shaniera Thompson on July 7, 2013, after meeting her in Melbourne in 2011. Shaniera and Akram had tied a note on August 12, 2013. Aiyla Sabeen Rose Akram is a daughter of Wasim Akram from Shaniera.
In 1984, Akram began his ODI career in Pakistan against New Zealand. He became well-known after defeating Australia in the third ODI of the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship with five wickets.
He bowled 4 overs, allowing 31 runs while going not out. Pakistan eventually prevailed in the game by 5 runs. On January 25, 1985, he played in his first test match, this time playing for the visiting squad against the same opponents.
New Zealand destroyed Pakistan by an innings and 99 runs in the second test of the series, with Akram taking two wickets without contributing any runs in either inning. He took 10 wickets in the third and final test, but despite this, his team was still 2 wickets short of winning.
He holds the record for the most wickets in List A cricket, 881, and was a left-arm fast bowler with good speed. He is regarded as one of the inventors and possibly the best practitioner of reverse swing bowling.
During the 2003 World Cup, he became the first bowler in ODI cricket to reach 500 wickets. Wisden published its sole list of the greatest players ever in 2002. Wasim received a rating of 1223.5, making him the all-time top ODI bowler.
One of the five new members of the ICC Cricket Hall of Fame on September 30, 2009, was Akram. He served as Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling instructor.
He was serving Islamabad United in the Pakistan Super League as director and bowling coach. He was added to the panel of seven cricket advisors for the Pakistan Cricket Board in October 2018. He became the President of the PSL franchise Karachi Kings in November 2018.
He received the Hilal-e-Imtiaz from the Pakistani government on March 23 in recognition of his lifetime accomplishments on a cricket field.
After the victory over England in 1992, he was charged with ball-tampering by the English media.
He led Pakistan on its first tour, a trip to the West Indies, in April 1993. But he was detained for marijuana possession along with three of his buddies. Later, they were freed on bond.
In 1999, he guided Pakistan to the verge of winning a second World Cup, but they were defeated by Australia in the championship match by eight wickets, with Australia needing just 20.1 overs to complete the chase. There are still allegations that Akram arranged the game in Australia's favor. All of the claims, however, were unsupported.
In 1998 under the captaincy of Wasim Akram, Lancashire won the NatWest Trophy, the Sunday League, and the County Championship while losing only five games overall. They also placed second in the league.
Akram effortlessly scaled mountains with many wickets and even hat-tricks. He was able to trouble the batsman both off the pitch and with movement in the air because he would easily breach the defenses of numerous batsmen. In the 50-over format, Akram became the first player on the planet to amass 500 wickets at the 2003 World Cup. In the end, he concluded his career with the most wickets for Pakistan in both Tests and ODIs. With 502 wickets, he also held the record for most ODI wickets taken before Muttiah Muralitharan overtook him and displaced him to second place.
At the age of 35, in the year 2003, Akram declared his retirement from one-day internationals. He previously retired from Test cricket in 2002. As a representative of Lancashire and then Hampshire, he played a significant role in England's home circuit. Fans were so moved by his performance that they began to sing "Wasim for England" while he was playing for Lancashire.
A talented bowler, an extraordinary player, and an awesome captain. Wasim Akram took his team to heights. Undoubtedly, he is a blessing to his team.
| ODI | |
|---|---|
| Matches: 356 | Run Scored: 3717 |
| Batting Average: 16.52 | Top Score: 86 |
| 100/50: 0/6 | Wickets: 502 |
| T20 | |
|---|---|
| Matches: 98 | Run Scored: 1617 |
| Batting Average: 37.60 | Top Score: 56 |
| 100/50: 0/2 | Wickets: 0 |
| Test | |
|---|---|
| Matches: 104 | Run Scored: 2898 |
| Batting Average: 22.64 | Top Score: 257 |
| 100/50: 3/7 | Wickets: 414 |
Sachin Tendulkar of India fields during the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Group B match between India and the Netherlands at Feroz Shah Kotla stadium on March 9, 2011 in Delhi, India.
Sachin Tendulkar of India raises his bat on scoring his century during the Group B ICC World Cup Cricket match between India and South Africa at Vidarbha Cricket Association Ground on March 12, 2011 in Nagpur, India.
Sachin Tendulkar of India hits out watched by wicketkeeper Matt Prior of England during day five of the 4th npower Test Match between England and India at The Kia Oval on August 22, 2011 in London, England.
Sachin Tendulkar reach the iconic landmark of 100 international centuries against Bangladesh in the Asia Cup in 2012
Sachin's first Test century
Sachin Tendulkar’s dream to hold the World Cup in his hands and in 2011 it finally happened.
