(Videos) Wasim Akram reveals he was addicted to cocaine after his playing career ended

[Markhor]

It's not an easy subject to open up about. Our society is a very judgmental one so whilst there may be commercial considerations behind this admission, Wasim deserves commending and hopefully it'll allow others in Pakistan to come forward to receive help.

Wasim's honesty has a limit though as seen by his denial about his role in matchfixing. It's clear Ata-ur-Rehman was leant on, and Wasim kept some shady contacts. He was fortunate the Qayyum Inquiry was hamstrung in many aspects, and the Judge himself admitted to being lenient. However it's obviously understandable as an admission would jeopardise his standing in the cricket community, his sponsorships and commentary gigs.

I'd be interested to read the book, especially his take on the cliques and factions that existed within the team, which Wasim played no small part in fostering.

 

[sweep_shot]

Glad to know he recovered from the addiction.

Drugs are menaces to societies.

 

[CrIc_Mystique]

It takes courage to admit ones fallacies.
Wasim bhai - in my hostel days, our walls were plastered with you and the other W
there is no shortage of times we wished you were bowling for us, aaj bhi when i watch some of your magic on U-tube - ahh voh jazba, voh junoon .
it takes courage. u all time legend!

 

[DHONI183]

Wasim Akram: Pakistan great reveals he was addicted to cocaine after his playing career ended

Growing up in the 1990s, Wasim Akram was my first hero in life, my first admiration in childhood. Regardless of what he says or does, regardless of what controversy he gets into or reveals about ones from the past, I just cannot get rid of the fascination that I had for this man - especially the lovely bowling action that he had.

This obviously not a great thing to discover about, surely not a good revelation, and I can fully understand the disappointment by people.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Those who never watched him play will continue to deride him. Those who didn't like him before will get another opportunity to condemn him.

 

[Cpt. Rishwat]

Yeah, one thing you can say about Wasim is that he has never cared what other people think. He never associated himself with that faux-Islamism that a certain contingent of the team started associating themselves with in the 90s. And he seems like someone who is comfortable in his own skin. More power to him for that.

Yep. While I'm disappointed to read about his drug addiction, he always came across as a great guy, and ultimately I will always judge him on his cricket prowess. The best left arm seamer in history as far as I'm concerned, and a pretty useful bat as well.

 

[SalimBhai]

So what if he had a drug problem. He overcame it and is in a better place . One hell of a bowler. You could not even dream what he could do in real life with a ball . Magnificent player

 

[muqarrab]

Those who never watched him play will continue to deride him. Those who didn't like him before will get another opportunity to condemn him.

Hi book is a good read overall and he does put to bed a lot of questions one had while following PCT in the 90s. I like his candor and overall what he has expressed makes sense w.r.t match fixing cloud and waht we know now.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Hi book is a good read overall and he does put to bed a lot of questions one had while following PCT in the 90s. I like his candor and overall what he has expressed makes sense w.r.t match fixing cloud and waht we know now.

will give it a go once free. Afridi's book was a disappointment.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Yep. While I'm disappointed to read about his drug addiction, he always came across as a great guy, and ultimately I will always judge him on his cricket prowess. The best left arm seamer in history as far as I'm concerned, and a pretty useful bat as well.

My respect for him has actually increased ten-fold ever since he came forward with this. Because coming back from an addiction is not easy. Neither is talking about your struggles openly, because many people mistake it as a sign of weakness.

 

[MenInG]

Wasim Akram in an interview regarding his addiction:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 80%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/qjo32f" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[Savak]

Cant really sympathize with Wasim, its one thing if he did and experienced all this as a teenager or even someone in his young impressionable twenties. But the guy retired at the age 37 and he was indulging in this stuff as a mature 37-43 year old adult with a wife and kids. He was not an innocent bacha who had not seen the world and was not educated enough.

 

[MenInG]

Former Pakistan captain and bowling legend, Wasim Akram opened up on his cocaine addiction in his autobiography -- Sultan A Memoir. The former left-arm seamer has been promoting his book, and in a recent interview with the Grade Cricketers' Podcast, Akram has revealed that he was kept in a rehab in Pakistan for two-and-a-half months against his will. He also said that keeping someone against their will is "illegal in the world, but not in Pakistan".

Talking about how he eventually became addicted to cocaine, Akram said: "In England, somebody at a party said 'you wanna try it?' I was retired, I said 'yeah'. Then one line became a gram. I came back to Pakistan. Nobody knew what it was but it was available. I realised, I couldn't function without it, which means I couldn't socialise without it. It got worse and worse. My kids were young. I was hurting my late wife a lot. We would have arguments. She said I need help."

"She said there's a rehab, you can go there. I said alright I will go there for a month but they kept me there for two and a half months against my will. Apparently, that is illegal in the world but not in Pakistan. That didn't help me. When I came out, a rebellion came into me. It's my money, I stayed in that horrible place against my will," he stated further.

Further talking about his rehab experience, Akram said: "In western movies, even in Australia you see rehabs have lovely big lawns, people give lectures, you go to gym. But I went to a place (in Pakistan) with a corridor and eight rooms, that's it. It was very very tough. It was a horrible time."

"Then a tragedy happened, my wife passed away. I knew I was on the wrong path, I wanted to get out of it. I had two young boys. In Western culture, a dad is involved fifty-fifty (with the mother). You wake up in the morning, drop your child to the school, pick them up, and change clothes. In our culture, as a dad, we never do that. It's the wife's turn. Our job is to go out and raise funds. I was lost for two years. I never knew where I had to buy clothes for them.

"I didn't know what they ate, I had to go to every class, and attend parent-teacher meetings. I had to be friendly with their friends' parents. But I must say, every parent around my kids helped a lot," he stated further.

https://sports.ndtv.com/cricket/ill...experience-3554953#pfrom=home-ndtv_topstories

 

[Markhor]

Cant really sympathize with Wasim, its one thing if he did and experienced all this as a teenager or even someone in his young impressionable twenties. But the guy retired at the age 37 and he was indulging in this stuff as a mature 37-43 year old adult with a wife and kids. He was not an innocent bacha who had not seen the world and was not educated enough.

Wasim has done well to have kicked it though.

Today news broke that the former West Indies wicket-keeper David Murray, son of Everton Weekes and most infamously one of the rebel tourists to South Africa, has died.

After the tour, he became ostracised like the other rebels who were banned from cricket, lost jobs and social contacts. Murray soon got hooked onto cocaine. He'd beg people for money during Barbados Tests (his home ground) and I distinctly remember a CNN documentary on the rebel tourists where the guy looked skeletal.

I'm amazed he even survived this long. Cocaine is a horrific drug.

 

[Markhor]

Can I just say, regardless of your opinion on Wasim Akram and his candidness on some issues, he's a very entertaining storyteller. Really enjoying his interview round for his book.

 

[Saj]

If the truth be told Wasim was probably not the only Pakistani cricketer around that time snorting cocaine and into other things.

I remember friends of mine telling me a few stories about some Pakistani players and what they got up to when they toured Kenya. Behaved like animals who had been let out of a cage.

 

[Local.Dada]

I know it’s a tricky subject on here but aren’t there rumors about the big man of Pakistan cricket himself indulging in cocaine even now ?

It’s really brave of Wasim to come out and admit this. Don’t think selling a few copies of his book is worth the stigma that comes with this in our part of the world. May really help youngsters to seek help. With all the money and shady people involved in cricket, these kind of things are not far away.

I am really interested in reading his book now and the man can tell a story.