Wasim Akram- Cricketer Profile – 1984 -2003

Wasim Akram is the best fast bowler of all the time who has the ability to make the ball walk and talk in a unique style. Other than bowling, the Pakistani cricketer also has skills to turn the situation of the game with his bat.

The left-arm pacer’s ability to swing and seam the ball made him much popular among his fans. In addition, he was mastered at swinging the ball both ways in one delivery. He used to threaten the batsmen with his high speed, ball
concealing actions with dangerous bouncer or unpredictable slow deliveries.

Many of the experts have rated him best pacer of all the time and his career’s record is the evidence of his brilliant records. The 45-year-old made his international debut in November 1984 against New Zealand, at Faisalabad.

Bowling in 351 One-Day internationals, he has claimed 502 wickets at a brilliant average of 23.52, including his best bowling figures of 5/15. Making his Test debut in 1985, he claimed 10 wickets in the second game.  On the whole,
bowling in 181 Test innings, he has picked 414 wickets at an average 23.62, including his best bowling figures of 7/119.

He is the second highest wicket-taker in the ODI game, after Sri Lankan off-spinner Mutiah Muralitharan, who ended his career at 502.

Other than international cricket, he is also the record holder for claiming most wickets in List A cricket with a figure of 881. The legendary pacer is valued as he is considered as one of the founders and one of the best exponents
of the reverse swing bowling. In 1993, he was awarded ‘Wisden Cricketer of the Year’ for his remarkable sporting achievements.

He took the leadership of Pakistan’s team, following the Imran Khan’s retirement; but unfortunately, the match-fixing controversies hindered his career. Wasim has also been a remarkable batsman especially in Test cricket, where
he hit highest unbeaten 257 runs of his career against Zimbabwe on October 17, 1996. Batting in 147 Test innings, he has scored 2898 runs, including three centuries and seven fifties.

He has also been one of the prolific players of International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup 1992, where Pakistan was the title holder. The former cricketer had also given a considerable batting performance in the final game of
the tournament, against England where he hit 33 innings off 19 balls, leading Pakistan to a considerable total of 249 for six wickets.

He also captained the Green Shirts during 1996 World Cup, where he guided his side to the final game of the mega event. The 1999 Word Cup was not a good part of his career, where he quit the tournament in the quarter-final game
of the tournament against India, citing an injury. The match-fixing controversies opened in the same year, as in most of the critics’ views, Akram had fixed the match for Australia. However, no proof was given regarding these allegations.

The ICC World Cup 2003 was one of the best parts of his international career, where he became the Pakistan’s best bowler for claiming 19 wickets while bowling in six matches.

On 18 May 2003, Akram called it a day to his 19-year old international cricketing career, at the age of 36. Following his retirement from the international cricket, he turned himself to a TV commentator and is currently offering
his services for ESPN Star Sports and ARY digital.