Pakistani Legend Wasim Akram is often regarded as one of the best left-arm fast bowlers the game is ever seen. In an amazing career that started in 1985 and ended in 2003, he played more than 300 ODIs and 100 plus Tests for Pakistan.
He was also a member of the 1992 World Cup winning team and then Captain the Pakistan team to the final of the 1999 Cricket World Cup. He finally called time on his career in the 2003 World Cup after becoming the first bowler to take 500 wickets in one-day Internationals.
In an exclusive chat with Sportskeeda Cricket on the ‘What If’ segment, Akram was asked what he would do in life if he were not a cricketer for Pakistan.
Akram recently revealed that he would run a petrol pump in Toronto had he not become an international cricketer. Akram also mentioned that he was not much into studies as a kid, but was always interested in sports.
“Had I not been a cricketer, I would have a petrol pump at Toronto. No idea, actually. Dekho mai student bohot nikamma tha (I was not among the cleverest of the students). My focus was to play sports. I was in the school’s basketball team, cricket team, table tennis team and in athletics. But in studies, I was that backbencher type of guy,” he added.
Akram also added that God has been kind to him because he made his debut in the Pakistan team as a 17-year-old and said that he didn’t have any Plan B if a sport hadn’t worked out for him.
Had IPL Not Started, Indian Cricket Would Not Have Been At The Level Where It Is Now: Wasim Akram
During the show, Akram was questioned about the current state of Indian cricket if the BCCI had not established the Indian Premier League. In the sixteen years since its 2008 start by the BCCI, the IPL has risen to the top of the T20 world league rankings.
Akram believed that without the IPL, Indian cricket would not have reached its current levels of success.
He said: “I remember when IPL started in 2008. I was in Australia with ESPN-Star. India were touring Australia then, and everyone was so excited. Had IPL not started, Indian cricket would not have been at the level where it is now.
The demand for Indian cricket would have been lower. If your team wins more, more sponsors join you, it means more money, and the same has happened in Indian cricket because of IPL.”
Many countries have launched their own T20 leagues like the IPL now. It will be interesting to see if any of those tournaments can match the Indian Premier League in the coming years.