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[VIDEO] Reading Wasim Akram's biography "Sultan" is a gut wrenching experience
- Thread starter Corridor of Uncertainty
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Saj has done a review.
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Former legendary Indian batter Sachin Tendulkar dominated the cricketing world with his batting excellence for almost a period of more than two decades. The 48-year-old is known for ruining the careers of many renowned bowlers of the full-time Test-playing nations across the cricketing world. Whereas there were also the bowlers who shared a tough rivalry with Sachin Tendulkar.
The leading run-scorer in the history of cricket alongside the most centuries to his name in ODI and Test formats of the game had also a great rivalry with one of the all-time pace-bowling greats Wasim Akram. Former legendary Pakistan speedster Akram was known for his amazing swing, he was also dubbed the “Swing of Sultan” owing to his amazing art of swinging the ball both ways.
Akram bowled a lot to Sachin Tendulkar in the decade of 1990s. Both the players enjoyed a fierce rivalry on the field. Recently the former legendary opener lauded Akram’s excellence with the ball and the latter’s amazing talent for reverse swing.
“Cricket is a team sport, but everything goes back to the rivalry of batter and bowler, and in Wasim Akram, every batter had a wonderful rival – when you play against someone of that caliber, it lifts your game as well, and the experience stays with you forever. Wasim was a master. He made the ball talk,” reads the excerpt from Akram’s book written by Sachin Tendulkar.
“His run-up was so natural. Unlike most fast bowlers, he didn’t need to measure his steps; he could just start from anywhere and still be as effective. He ran through the crease so quickly you hardly had time to set yourself up. When I first faced him, I’d never encountered anyone like Wasim. Every game we played against each other I remember. and every time we meet now it is in warm friendship,” he added later.
https://www.sky247.net/cricket/he-d...s-legendary-pakistan-bowler-who-troubled-him/
The leading run-scorer in the history of cricket alongside the most centuries to his name in ODI and Test formats of the game had also a great rivalry with one of the all-time pace-bowling greats Wasim Akram. Former legendary Pakistan speedster Akram was known for his amazing swing, he was also dubbed the “Swing of Sultan” owing to his amazing art of swinging the ball both ways.
Akram bowled a lot to Sachin Tendulkar in the decade of 1990s. Both the players enjoyed a fierce rivalry on the field. Recently the former legendary opener lauded Akram’s excellence with the ball and the latter’s amazing talent for reverse swing.
“Cricket is a team sport, but everything goes back to the rivalry of batter and bowler, and in Wasim Akram, every batter had a wonderful rival – when you play against someone of that caliber, it lifts your game as well, and the experience stays with you forever. Wasim was a master. He made the ball talk,” reads the excerpt from Akram’s book written by Sachin Tendulkar.
“His run-up was so natural. Unlike most fast bowlers, he didn’t need to measure his steps; he could just start from anywhere and still be as effective. He ran through the crease so quickly you hardly had time to set yourself up. When I first faced him, I’d never encountered anyone like Wasim. Every game we played against each other I remember. and every time we meet now it is in warm friendship,” he added later.
https://www.sky247.net/cricket/he-d...s-legendary-pakistan-bowler-who-troubled-him/
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Rahul Dravid wasn't called The Wall for no reason. The India head coach, who celebrates his 50th birthday today, was not only one of the finest batters produced in the history of Indian cricket but was also one of the toughest to get out. He played in an era where Indian batting was highlighted by Sachin Tendulkar, but still, there are legends out there who played against both but found bowling to Dravid more tedious. Ask Shoaib Akhtar. Imagine steaming in from 50 yards and seeing the 150 kph missile blocked and lying dead on the surface after hitting the middle of the bat… that was Rahul Dravid. He tested patience, roughed up the oppositions' plans and freaked them out. Dravid may not have been the biggest smasher of the ball, but as Matthew Hayden once famously said, "If you want to see aggression on cricket field, look into Rahul Dravid's eyes".
Like every hero needs a villain, a quality batter needs equally great bowlers to stand out as a champion. And for Dravid, there were many. Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, James Anderson, Stuart Broad have all had a go at Dravid, but the one bowler the former India captain relished playing against was the legendary Wasim Akram. Dravid and Akram have been involved in numerous battles over the years, from those days of Sharjah tri-series to 1999 World Cup and Pakistan's famous tour of India the same year, where Wasim foxed Rahul. Akram set Dravid with two inswingers and then had him nick the next outswinger to end his stay at the crease. Akram was purely skill and acknowledging the same, Dravid paid a hearty tribute to his long-time rival.
"Wasim was a real inspiration for fast bowlers all over the world and especially in the subcontinent. His career coincided with the advent of better-quality television production and the growth of TV sets. And his skills reached so many kids who aspired to bowl like him. When he was bowling, you were captivated," Dravid wrote in Akram's biography 'Sultan: A Memoir'.
"Easily one of the most skilful bowlers I have played against. A tough competitor but always had a smile on his face and exuded joy and confidence both on and off the field. Pleasure to have both played against him and interacted with him."
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...skilful-i-played-against-101673429076857.html
Like every hero needs a villain, a quality batter needs equally great bowlers to stand out as a champion. And for Dravid, there were many. Allan Donald, Glenn McGrath, Muttiah Muralitharan, Shoaib Akhtar, James Anderson, Stuart Broad have all had a go at Dravid, but the one bowler the former India captain relished playing against was the legendary Wasim Akram. Dravid and Akram have been involved in numerous battles over the years, from those days of Sharjah tri-series to 1999 World Cup and Pakistan's famous tour of India the same year, where Wasim foxed Rahul. Akram set Dravid with two inswingers and then had him nick the next outswinger to end his stay at the crease. Akram was purely skill and acknowledging the same, Dravid paid a hearty tribute to his long-time rival.
"Wasim was a real inspiration for fast bowlers all over the world and especially in the subcontinent. His career coincided with the advent of better-quality television production and the growth of TV sets. And his skills reached so many kids who aspired to bowl like him. When he was bowling, you were captivated," Dravid wrote in Akram's biography 'Sultan: A Memoir'.
"Easily one of the most skilful bowlers I have played against. A tough competitor but always had a smile on his face and exuded joy and confidence both on and off the field. Pleasure to have both played against him and interacted with him."
https://www.hindustantimes.com/cric...skilful-i-played-against-101673429076857.html
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 1985. The legend Wasim Akram made his Test debut at the age of 18 versus New Zealand. Wasim went on to play 104 Test matches taking 414 wickets at a brilliant average of 23.62 & scored 2898 runs <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/KrrXU4Ib0Q">pic.twitter.com/KrrXU4Ib0Q</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1618162294650966016?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 25, 2023</a></blockquote>
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daytrader
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'I was crying, didn't have Indian visa. People at Chennai airport said...': Akram shares tragic story about wife's death
One of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of the game, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram recently opened up about the tragic demise of his wife Huma Akram, who passed away after reportedly developing heart and kidney complications in 2009. Akram's wife was with the celebrated Pakistani cricketer when her health deteriorated. Akram's wife Huma died at the age of 42 in Chennai.
During a discussion on his autobiography Sultan: A Memoir, the former Pakistan skipper shared an emotional anecdote about his late wife. Akram was travelling to Singapore from Lahore on an air ambulance as his then-wife was due to receive treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital. The ambulance halted at the Chennai airport for scheduled refilling.
Recalling the emotional incident, Akram revealed that he didn’t have an Indian visa when the ambulance arrived in Chennai. “I was flying to Singapore with my late wife and there was a stop in Chennai for refuelling. When he landed, she was unconscious, I was crying and people recognized me at the airport. We didn’t have an Indian visa. We both had Pakistani passports," Akram told Sportstar.
Owing gratitude, the former Pakistan skipper then revealed that the officials in Chennai had stepped up to help the ace cricketer during the unpleasant situation. "The people at the Chennai airport, the security forces, and the customs and immigration officials told me not to worry about the visa and take my wife to the hospital while they sort the visa out. That is something I will never forget, as a cricketer and as a human being,” Akram added.
HT
One of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of the game, legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram recently opened up about the tragic demise of his wife Huma Akram, who passed away after reportedly developing heart and kidney complications in 2009. Akram's wife was with the celebrated Pakistani cricketer when her health deteriorated. Akram's wife Huma died at the age of 42 in Chennai.
During a discussion on his autobiography Sultan: A Memoir, the former Pakistan skipper shared an emotional anecdote about his late wife. Akram was travelling to Singapore from Lahore on an air ambulance as his then-wife was due to receive treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital. The ambulance halted at the Chennai airport for scheduled refilling.
Recalling the emotional incident, Akram revealed that he didn’t have an Indian visa when the ambulance arrived in Chennai. “I was flying to Singapore with my late wife and there was a stop in Chennai for refuelling. When he landed, she was unconscious, I was crying and people recognized me at the airport. We didn’t have an Indian visa. We both had Pakistani passports," Akram told Sportstar.
Owing gratitude, the former Pakistan skipper then revealed that the officials in Chennai had stepped up to help the ace cricketer during the unpleasant situation. "The people at the Chennai airport, the security forces, and the customs and immigration officials told me not to worry about the visa and take my wife to the hospital while they sort the visa out. That is something I will never forget, as a cricketer and as a human being,” Akram added.
HT
Hitman
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Still remember the whole ordeal. What a nightmare it must have been for Wasim and his sons.
SpiritOf1903
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Considering he taught Indians all there is to know about bowling they'd be favourable towards him
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<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#OnThisDay</a> in 1990. A second one-day hat-trick in six months for Wasim Akram as Pakistan beat Australia by 36 runs in Sharjah. Wasim finished things off by bowling Merv Hughes, Carl Rackemann and Terry Alderman with consecutive deliveries <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/Hdblx1EOKU">pic.twitter.com/Hdblx1EOKU</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="https://twitter.com/SajSadiqCricket/status/1654027199970680832?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 4, 2023</a></blockquote>
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Former Pakistan cricket great Wasim Akram has emphasised the need for quality rather than quantity in the sport that has a billion-strong fan base thanks to the increasing popularity of the T20 format.
While acknowledging that T20 cricket is here to stay because it has all the right ingredients, Akram still believes that Test cricket has a more important role to play in the long-term future of the sport.
“Love it or hate it T20 is high-level entertainment,” the former Pakistan captain told Khaleej Times recently.
“It has more runs, bigger sixes, crazy shot making… you name it. It’s exciting, makes cricketers a lot of money and keeps the fans happy. But it comes at a price.
“To me it's quantity not quality. I still believe the quality has to be there as well and that’s why Test cricket is so important for the game and has got to stay,” he added.
“When we played, I’m talking about my era, we had players of the quality of Sachin (Tendulkar), (Sunil) Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Viv (Richards), Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Beefy (Ian Botham), Sir Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev. It was a golden era. If you had to choose a World XI these guys will all be there. Unfortunately, you don’t have that level of talent in the world today.”
Akram, widely regarded as the greatest left-arm fast bowler in history and currently a television cricket pundit, said that being successful in Test cricket was a true test of character.
“T20 and ODI serve a purpose because it’s a run-orientated format,” he said. “Fans love to watch batsmen hit sixes, which is fine, but Test cricket is all about aesthetics.”
Akram was of the opinion that the rules of T20 could do with some amendments.
“I’m all for technology that has helped improve the way cricket it players, but I would like to see a standardizing of boundary distance, it should be at least 70 metres,” he said. “Only then would it be a fair battle between bat and ball.
"Sixty-metre boundaries are not fun. Batsmen get a top edge and it flies over the boundary. That’s boring. For a commentator it’s not fun, for a coach it’s not fun and for the bowler it’s not fun.”
“That’s why my favourite ground for cricket in the world is the Dubai Cricket Stadium because it has something for the bowlers early and something for the batters who can get runs with proper cricketing shots. Countries should take a leaf out of Dubai and make cricketing grounds like this.”
Akram would also like to see the rules amended to allow two bouncers per over in T20 cricket.
“It will be a good test for the batsman and if he’s good he can innovate, play a pull shot or an upper cut. So, two bouncers will mean that bowlers have something to fall back on when things are not going their way,” he says.
“And by the way bouncers are fun, fun to bowl, fun to watch and fun to hit as well, provided you have the right technique. So why not have two per over.”
Akram also recalled when he was starting his career he would come up against some of the greatest cricketers in the world including Sir Viv Richards, the West Indian legend.
“Viv was the whole package. The way he talked, the way he walked out to the crease, without a helmet. He was phenomenal. I don’t think anybody can be like him he was the ultimate cricketer," he said.
“I was 19 at the time that I first played against Viv. I couldn’t sleep at night thinking what will happen when I bowl at this great batsman. Will he smash me all over the park, will he make me look small, but in way all those thoughts, those restless nights, motivated me as well,” he added.
“I drew inspiration from my mentors, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar who taught me how to never be afraid of the opposition no matter how great they were.
“I told myself I’m going to bowl bouncers at these guys and not be afraid of the consequences. I taught myself to be positive and have faith in my ability. That’s how my game evolved.”
That was a long time ago. Akram is now a contended 57-year-old who travels around the world offering his services as an expert commentator and cricket analyst.
“I’m at a point in my life where I am at peace,” he said. “I have a lovely wife, Shaniera, three kids, my eight-year-old daughter Alia, and my two sons, Akbar who is 22 and 25-year-old Tahmoor. My kids are happy, I’m happy.
“I’ve moved on I have learnt to forgive and forget. I could not be better at this point of time in my life. Thank God.”
https://www.zawya.com/en/life/sport...where-i-am-at-peace-says-wasim-akram-ayegbqge
While acknowledging that T20 cricket is here to stay because it has all the right ingredients, Akram still believes that Test cricket has a more important role to play in the long-term future of the sport.
“Love it or hate it T20 is high-level entertainment,” the former Pakistan captain told Khaleej Times recently.
“It has more runs, bigger sixes, crazy shot making… you name it. It’s exciting, makes cricketers a lot of money and keeps the fans happy. But it comes at a price.
“To me it's quantity not quality. I still believe the quality has to be there as well and that’s why Test cricket is so important for the game and has got to stay,” he added.
“When we played, I’m talking about my era, we had players of the quality of Sachin (Tendulkar), (Sunil) Gavaskar, Brian Lara, Viv (Richards), Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, Beefy (Ian Botham), Sir Richard Hadlee and Kapil Dev. It was a golden era. If you had to choose a World XI these guys will all be there. Unfortunately, you don’t have that level of talent in the world today.”
Akram, widely regarded as the greatest left-arm fast bowler in history and currently a television cricket pundit, said that being successful in Test cricket was a true test of character.
“T20 and ODI serve a purpose because it’s a run-orientated format,” he said. “Fans love to watch batsmen hit sixes, which is fine, but Test cricket is all about aesthetics.”
Akram was of the opinion that the rules of T20 could do with some amendments.
“I’m all for technology that has helped improve the way cricket it players, but I would like to see a standardizing of boundary distance, it should be at least 70 metres,” he said. “Only then would it be a fair battle between bat and ball.
"Sixty-metre boundaries are not fun. Batsmen get a top edge and it flies over the boundary. That’s boring. For a commentator it’s not fun, for a coach it’s not fun and for the bowler it’s not fun.”
“That’s why my favourite ground for cricket in the world is the Dubai Cricket Stadium because it has something for the bowlers early and something for the batters who can get runs with proper cricketing shots. Countries should take a leaf out of Dubai and make cricketing grounds like this.”
Akram would also like to see the rules amended to allow two bouncers per over in T20 cricket.
“It will be a good test for the batsman and if he’s good he can innovate, play a pull shot or an upper cut. So, two bouncers will mean that bowlers have something to fall back on when things are not going their way,” he says.
“And by the way bouncers are fun, fun to bowl, fun to watch and fun to hit as well, provided you have the right technique. So why not have two per over.”
Akram also recalled when he was starting his career he would come up against some of the greatest cricketers in the world including Sir Viv Richards, the West Indian legend.
“Viv was the whole package. The way he talked, the way he walked out to the crease, without a helmet. He was phenomenal. I don’t think anybody can be like him he was the ultimate cricketer," he said.
“I was 19 at the time that I first played against Viv. I couldn’t sleep at night thinking what will happen when I bowl at this great batsman. Will he smash me all over the park, will he make me look small, but in way all those thoughts, those restless nights, motivated me as well,” he added.
“I drew inspiration from my mentors, Imran Khan, Javed Miandad and Mudassar Nazar who taught me how to never be afraid of the opposition no matter how great they were.
“I told myself I’m going to bowl bouncers at these guys and not be afraid of the consequences. I taught myself to be positive and have faith in my ability. That’s how my game evolved.”
That was a long time ago. Akram is now a contended 57-year-old who travels around the world offering his services as an expert commentator and cricket analyst.
“I’m at a point in my life where I am at peace,” he said. “I have a lovely wife, Shaniera, three kids, my eight-year-old daughter Alia, and my two sons, Akbar who is 22 and 25-year-old Tahmoor. My kids are happy, I’m happy.
“I’ve moved on I have learnt to forgive and forget. I could not be better at this point of time in my life. Thank God.”
https://www.zawya.com/en/life/sport...where-i-am-at-peace-says-wasim-akram-ayegbqge
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