Legends of the Game

Wasim Akram is the greatest left-arm swing bowler of all time -- and Sir Don Bradman said so.


In any case, the record of the man doesn't allow much argument to the contrary. He had pace, swing and bounce. He could 'reverse' with such impunity that the term banana ball appeared to have been invented for him. He had astonishing quality for someone whose action was said to be imperfect (his right knee buckled at the crease). And he had the ridiculous ability to bowl at very high speeds with a long, short or almost no run-up.


Akram learnt the art of reverse swing from his mentor Imran Khan and soon became a guru of swing and reverse movement himself. One of the greatest things that Akram learnt from Imran was how to bowl in Test matches and ODIs.


Quite a few bowlers of the 1980s, and even today, bowl the same way in both forms of the game. Said Akram, "Imran took Waqar Younis and myself aside and said that you don't eat the same amount of food during breakfast and lunch. Similarly, bowling in ODIs is different to bowling in Test matches."


Akram was a phenomenal one-day bowler. He was always asking questions, teasing the batsmen outside the off-stump and with the tail-enders, he was simply devastating. When he got the reverse swing going with the old ball, not too many good batsmen could claim to dominate the champion Pakistani.


In the bowling department, Akram played a huge hand in 1992 when Pakistan won the ICC Cricket World Cup in Australia. In his ICC CWC career, Akram has taken 55 wickets, which is phenomenal. And that makes him a legend.


Did You Know?Wasim Akram went for the college team trials in borrowed shoes, although he comes from a wealthy family.


Akram in numbers: ODIs: 356, runs: 3717, highest: 86 , average: 16.52, 100s: 0, 50s: 6, wickets: 502, best: 5/15.


Akram in World Cups: ODIs: 38, runs: 426, highest: 43, average: 19.36 , 100s: 0, 50s: 0, wickets: 55, best: 5/28