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[VIDEOS] Was Wasim Akram Pakistan's greatest bowler?

Was Wasim Akram Pakistan's greatest bowler?

  • Yes, his achievements for Pakistan mark him for greatness

    Votes: 19 79.2%

  • No, he was a good bowler but others were better

    Votes: 5 20.8%
  • Total voters
    24
  • Poll closed .
As an All Format bowler, I can conclusively say that Wasim Akram, popularly known as Waz or Wasim Bhai, was indeed the greatest Pakistani bowler ever.

Remarkable consistency across formats and someone who often took the pitch and the ball out of the equation with his talent.

His ball control, pace, mastery at swing and seam, mastery at bowling in the death overs in ODIs made him a threat to batters at all times.

Imran Khan is indeed the father of Pakistan cricket but I dare say Wasim bhai is the biggest icon of Pakistan cricket ever and its quite symbolic that he had a major contribution in Pakistan’s only CWC win, its greatest feat till date along with almost defeating the great West Indies at their home.

Also a terrific fun loving chill out dude, a great human being who has always advocated for peace between Bharat and Pakistan despite the hot and cold situations. Where immature minds lose their cool and disgrace themselves, Wasim bhai is always one with a mature approach to such uneasy situations and he comes out of them with his head held high.

Legitimately one of the greatest ever cricketers with a fanbase everywhere in the world.
 
Wasim Akram’s ODI hat-tricks were pure magic—swing, pace, and precision that left batsmen clueless and fans in awe! 🎯🔥

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/OnThisDay?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#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&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://t.co/JMUMfA91Fm">pic.twitter.com/JMUMfA91Fm</a></p>&mdash; Saj Sadiq (@SajSadiqCricket) <a href="
https://twitter.com/x/status/1918962346325606797
">May 4, 2025</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
 
No debate really, the first quick on the team sheet for any first XI across formats.
 
shaz619 said:
No debate really, the first quick on the team sheet for any first XI across formats.
Click to expand...
True... several right handed ATG bowlers to choose from, but only one ATG left arm pacer... Wasim Akram...
 
Wasim Akram speaking during an event in Karachi:

“Younis Khan can be a valuable asset as a red-ball batting coach. His experience and mindset could play a crucial role in shaping young players. A new coach can bring in fresh ideas and help change the team's mentality.”

“Hasan Nawaz stood out in the tournament. Salman Mirza and Ali Raza also bowled well and showed promise.”

“Young players should be afforded time to adjust and find their footing in T20 cricket.”

“It’s difficult to predict any change in the dynamics of India-Pakistan cricket.”
 
Bewal Express said:
Imran was definitely a better test bowler. Akram was better in ODI.
Click to expand...
Sum of all parts Wasim was better. Also Wasim played more in the era of cameras, ball monitoring and neutral umpires so he is rated higher. I don’t hear anyone saying Imran was unplayable like WI bowlers, Lillee-Thompson, they call him a great bowler. Wasim was genuinely fearsome.
 
If there is a second tier, Junaid Khan, Asif and Umar Gul (in the order mentioned).

And also a third tier, Naved Ul Hasan and Rao Ifthikar who shouldered the attack during a very unsettling period for Pakistan bowling between 2004 to 2008
 
Yep, wasim is the greatest of all time for Pakistan.

Him, Imran and waqar are top tier in Pakistan.
 

Wasim Akram statue goes viral—but not in a good way​

A newly installed statue of cricket legend Wasim Akram outside Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium has triggered a storm of criticism and mockery from fans across Pakistan.

The statue, designed to capture Akram’s classic bowling action, shows him wearing Pakistan’s iconic green shirt. However, fans on social media quickly noted that the sculpture bears little resemblance to the “Sultan of Swing.” Many called it awkward, unrecognizable, and even compared it to poorly made online figurines.

Photos of the statue went viral within hours of installation. Users joked it looked like a tribute to someone else entirely. Some questioned whether the sculptor had ever seen Wasim Akram bowl. Others sarcastically suggested it was ordered from a budget website with no reference images.

The statue is positioned prominently near the main gate of Niaz Stadium. While it was likely intended as a gesture of respect for one of Pakistan’s most iconic athletes, the backlash has overshadowed the tribute.

So far, neither Wasim Akram nor the stadium officials have issued any comments. Fans, however, continue to demand either a redesign or removal of the statue, calling for higher standards when honoring national heroes.

dailytimes.com.pk

Wasim Akram statue goes viral—but not in a good way - Daily Times

A newly installed statue of cricket legend Wasim Akram outside Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium has triggered a storm of criticism and mockery from fans across Pakistan.
dailytimes.com.pk dailytimes.com.pk
 
Local.Dada said:
Sum of all parts Wasim was better. Also Wasim played more in the era of cameras, ball monitoring and neutral umpires so he is rated higher. I don’t hear anyone saying Imran was unplayable like WI bowlers, Lillee-Thompson, they call him a great bowler. Wasim was genuinely fearsome.
Click to expand...
WA was consistently good throughout his career. IKs after his change of action around 1981 was on a different level and lost 3 years at his peak due to destructive shin injury. Wasim Akram reached his peak around 1989 against Australia and although he had some good series after that point, he was never the best in the World after that point in tests. In ODI cricket IK was good but WA was much better
 
sl-fan-of-pak said:
If there is a second tier, Junaid Khan, Asif and Umar Gul (in the order mentioned).

And also a third tier, Naved Ul Hasan and Rao Ifthikar who shouldered the attack during a very unsettling period for Pakistan bowling between 2004 to 2008
Click to expand...
Junaid Khan is probably the most underrated bowler in Pakistan's history. He spent his peak playing home tests on UAE dead wickets
 
I don’t think he was. He was the most talented and skilful, but Imran during the 80s was the better bowler overall.

Wasim really should have taken more wickets. For his skill set, he underachieved.
 
He is a magician.His advantage is like a rich heir of a successful company created by a hard-working poor man.he got all the knowledge to set up, instill fear, reverse swing, assess the batsmen, pitch etc stuff by the another great Imran.So it was a great help to take the
business forward. Srinath once said he never had a good pitch reading skills , above ones obviously for a fast bowler length .so he has to work hard a lot and it took first half of his career to become decent. Harsha bhogle once said a pak bowler was standing on his running mark up l with out bowling. Then imran came and shouted his mind in his own language about the delay. Bowler replied "u haven't told me what to bowl".so we should attribute atleast 20 percent to Imran for his initial success and care.
 
TheSultan said:
I don’t think he was. He was the most talented and skilful, but Imran during the 80s was the better bowler overall.

Wasim really should have taken more wickets. For his skill set, he underachieved.
Click to expand...
Totally agree. WA underachieved for the level of talent he possessed. IK overachieved for his talent and without doubt he was the better test bowler
 
Greatest left arm seamer in Tests of the last 50 years and , therefore, the greatest left arm seamer of all time.

Folks who claim Alan Davidson was better either suffer from an Anglo-centric bias or are simply nostalgic about amateurish cricket from the 50's.

The batting was a major bonus too.
 
Nikhil_cric said:
Greatest left arm seamer in Tests of the last 50 years and , therefore, the greatest left arm seamer of all time.

Folks who claim Alan Davidson was better either suffer from an Anglo-centric bias or are simply nostalgic about amateurish cricket from the 50's.

The batting was a major bonus too.
Click to expand...
Imo he's the 2nd greatest. But still an ATG goat.
 
Imran Khan is the best red ball (test) bowler that Pak has produced. Wasim had more variety & left arm angle but IK is the best test bowler that we have. People continue to view IK from the lens of a politician & doing so forget how amazing a cricketer IK was.

His stats are on another level & that's even after he missed his fast bowling peak via injury.
 
Nice statue. Right up there with the Cristiano Ronaldo statue.

Wasim_Akram_statue_1749386997216_1749387008432.jpg
 
mominsaigol said:
That looks nothing like wasim akram. The statue looks like a bollywood movie cos play. Even then I wouldn't cast this actor unless I'm representing wasim akram as a 70 year old
Click to expand...

They did him wrong there lol
 
BouncerGuy said:

Wasim Akram statue goes viral—but not in a good way​

A newly installed statue of cricket legend Wasim Akram outside Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium has triggered a storm of criticism and mockery from fans across Pakistan.

The statue, designed to capture Akram’s classic bowling action, shows him wearing Pakistan’s iconic green shirt. However, fans on social media quickly noted that the sculpture bears little resemblance to the “Sultan of Swing.” Many called it awkward, unrecognizable, and even compared it to poorly made online figurines.

Photos of the statue went viral within hours of installation. Users joked it looked like a tribute to someone else entirely. Some questioned whether the sculptor had ever seen Wasim Akram bowl. Others sarcastically suggested it was ordered from a budget website with no reference images.

The statue is positioned prominently near the main gate of Niaz Stadium. While it was likely intended as a gesture of respect for one of Pakistan’s most iconic athletes, the backlash has overshadowed the tribute.

So far, neither Wasim Akram nor the stadium officials have issued any comments. Fans, however, continue to demand either a redesign or removal of the statue, calling for higher standards when honoring national heroes.

dailytimes.com.pk

Wasim Akram statue goes viral—but not in a good way - Daily Times

A newly installed statue of cricket legend Wasim Akram outside Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium has triggered a storm of criticism and mockery from fans across Pakistan.
dailytimes.com.pk dailytimes.com.pk
Click to expand...
Here comes Wasim Akram's reply about the statue.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1933020952348279153
 
As amazing bowlers Wasim Akram is, in my opinion Imran Khan is under rated purely as a bowler.
 
I mean you look at akram odi stats they are atg level phenominal was he the greatest odi bowler he got over 500 wickets he and murli got over 500 i believe was he better than murli in odi i am talking about?
 
Wasim is definitely Pakistan's greatest bowler of all time. He has 500+ ODI wickets and 400+ Test wickets.

I think Wasim and McGrath are jointly the greatest cricket bowlers of all time (globally).
 
I think he severely underachieved especially in test cricket. This could be due to the diabetes or other known issues surrounding the Pakistan team in the 90s. He really should have got 450+ test wickets with the number of games he played.
 
Better then Chuck bumrah. Even with chucking bumrah is nothing more then a Temu version of Wasim(Mamoon's words not mine, but I 100% agree with them(
 
Mamoon said:
Not only Pakistan’s greatest, but the the greatest in Pakistan/India history.
Click to expand...

His longevity is highly underrated, he played Test cricket from 1985-2002. A good 17 year span and he was also diagnosed with diabetes in 1998? Which meant the tail end of his career he was also playing with a debiliting condition such as diabetes. Still did underachieve for my liking. Had the potential to take 450+ test wickets at a slightly lower average
 
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