Wasim Akram states his biggest regret
Sep 3, 2016 at 12:39 PM
Cricket as a sport was privileged to have the legendary Wasim Akram as one of its key stakeholders. The legendary Pakistani bowler, undoubtedly the greatest left-arm pacer of all time, was a sheer magician, as he revolutionized the art of swing bowling. The Sultan of Swing, as he is affectionately called, was the ultimate nightmare for any batsman, as his jaw-dropping statistics just depict his greatness.
Akram as a player went on to achieve absolute greatness. The 1992 World Cup victory in Australia, where his heroics in the final did the job for Pakistan, just tops the list. But there is one aspect which disappoints Akram. Like a few other greats of the game, Akram’s record at Lord’s wasn’t exceptional. In a recent chat, Akram admitted that not picking up a five-wicket haul at Lord’s was a big regret.
“The only regret that I have as a bowler is that even though I have 25 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, not one came at Lord’s,” Akram said. “So my name is not on the honors board.” “My first game at Lord’s was in 1987 – a long time ago,” he said. “But I remember my excitement level because I was playing at Lord’s and that too from Pakistan. It was dream come true for me.”
The pace bowling legend admitted that his first test win in England in 1992 was a “historic” moment. “That was a historic Test match because we needed 138 or something to win, and Waqar and I steered the ship,” he said. “I got 257 as well in Test cricket, but that definitely was one of my best moments with the bat. It was all the more special because I got to score the winning runs.”
“Winning against England is a massive deal but winning at Lord’s against England is even a bigger deal,” he mentioned “And as a captain, it was a big achievement,” the former left-arm pacer said about the significance of winning at Lord’s.