Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram was one of the finest fast bowlers of his generation. He posessed genuine pace, accurate control of line and length and seam position and could swing the ball both in and out.
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. He 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 Championship of Cricket in Australia who became his mentor.
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.
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, rather than 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. Together they were known as "the two W's" of Pakistan Cricket.
He also had some skill with the bat, but was never a true all rounder (with a batting average of just 22.64.) He struggled against pace bowling, but was very effective against spinners. He did silence his critics in October 1996 when he scored 257 not out of a total of 553 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura.
He is one of only two cricketers to have claimed 400 wickets in both Test Matches and ODI's; Muttiah Muralitharan is the other. In a recent poll, most batsmen said they feared facing Wasim more than any other
bowler.
He also bowled what some people regard as possibly the "best over ever bowled in Cricket" in the World Cup final of 1992 against England, in which he clean-bowled Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis in successive deliveries.
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