Pakistani Cricket Players Biography Wallpapers : Wasim Akram

Wasim Akram Biography

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Profile :

Wasim Akram was born on 6 May 1966 in Lahore, Punjab . His nicknames are KING OF SWING , SULTAN OF SWING AND THE TWO W’S . WasimAkram , A dream cricketer. At his best Wasim Akram plays like most of us would wish to. He has complete mastery over swing and seam, and sometimes moves the ball both ways in one delivery. All this comes at high speed from a quick, ball-concealing action, and is backed up by the threat of a dangerous bouncer or deceptive slower delivery. Akram is rated by many as the best left-arm fast bowler of all time, and his career record certainly bears that out - along with the high regard of his contemporaries. He was a genuine left arm fast bowler who could bowl with significant pace who represented the Pakistan national cricket team in Test cricket and One Day International (ODI) matches. In October 2013,Wasim Akram was the only Pakistani cricketer to be named in an all-time Test World XI to mark the 150th anniversary of Wisden Cricketers' Almanack

Records and Honours:

Akram is regarded as one of the greatest fast bowlers in the history of cricket. He holds the world record for most wickets in List A cricket with 881 and is second only to Sri Lankan off-spin bowler, Muttiah Muraitharan in terms of ODI wickets with 502. Akram won 17 Man-of-the-Match awards in 104 tests. He took 4 hat-tricks in International cricket – two in ODIs and two in Tests, He finished with 22 Man-of-the-Match awards in ODIs. In 199 ODI match wins, he took 326 wickets at under 19 apiece with a run rate of 3.70 and took 18 four-wicket hauls. His 257 not-out against Zimbabwe in 1996 is the highest innings by a number 8 batsman in tests. He hit 12 sixes in that, most by anyone in a test innings.

Figures With Records :

In his Test career, Akram took 414 wickets in 104 matches, a Pakistani record, at an average of 23.62 and scored 2,898 runs, at an average of 22.64

In One Day Internationals, Akram took 502 wickets in 356 appearances, at an average of 23.52 and scored 3,717 runs, at an average of 16.52.

Akram was the first bowler in international cricket to take more than 400 wickets in both forms of the game and only Muttiah Muralitharan has since achieved this.

Akram also held the record for the most wickets in Cricket World Cups, a total of 55 in 38 matches. Australia's Glenn McGrath broke the record during the 2007 Cricket World Cup, ending with a final tally of 71 from 39 matches.

Playing in a Test series against the West Indies at Lahore in 1990–1991, he became one of only six players to have taken four wickets in an over during a Test match. In Akram's case, these achievement was not part of a hat-trick, the third ball he delivered to the batting opposition was a dropped catch, which allowed a single run

Akram has also achieved the highest score by a number eight batsman in Test cricket when he scored 257 runs not out from 363 balls against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura. The innings contained 12 sixes which is also a world record for Test cricket

He is the only Test cricketer in the world(as of Feb 2013) to take ten or more wickets thrice in a test match and still end up on the losing side .

In 2002 Wisden released its only list of best players of all time. Wasim was ranked as the best bowler in ODI of all time with a rating of 1223.5, ahead of Allan Donald, Imran Khan, Waqar Younis, Joel Garner, Glen McGrath and Muralitharan. Wasim has taken 23 4-wicket hauls in ODI in 356 matches he played.

Career :

Wasim Akram started his Test Debut Against New Zealand in 1985 at Auckland and played hi last test against Bangladesh in 2002 . He Played his first ODI against New Zealand in Faisalabad in 1984 and ended his career with a match against Zimbabwe in 2003.

He came to the trials at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in Pakistan, but for the first two days he did not get a chance to bowl. On the third day he got a chance; his performance convincing Javed Miandad to insist upon his inclusion in the national team. Akram was hence given an opportunity to play for Pakistan, without any significant domestic experience.

Akram's rise in international cricket was rapid during the late 1980s. He was a part of the Pakistan team that toured the West Indies in 1988. However, a groin injury impeded his career in the late 1980s. Following two surgeries, he re-emerged in the 1990s as a fast bowler who focused more on swing and accurate bowling. Akram started his ODI career against New Zealand in Pakistan in 1984 under the captaincy of Zaheer Abbass. He rose to prominence taking five wickets in his 3rd ODI against Australia in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship. His wickets included those of Kepler Wessels, Dean Jones and Captain Allan Border. Akram was a significant figure in the 1992 Cricket World Cup held in Australia and New Zealand, when Pakistan won the tournament. In the final, against England, his innings of 33 runs off 19 balls pushed Pakistan to a score of 249 runs for 6 wickets. n the 1992–1993 Total International Series in South Africa (involving Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa) he took 5 wickets against South Africa and got his 200th wicket in his 143rd match. Akram took 46 wickets in calendar year 1993, his best year ever in ODIs. His average which was less than 19 with an economy rate of less than 3.8 runs per over. He took six 4-wicket hauls in 1993, the most by him in any year. In the 1996 World Cup he missed the quarter final match against India which Pakistan lost and went out of the World Cup. Wasim's great career was often tainted by controversy, not least in the Caribbean in April 1993, his maiden tour as Pakistan's captain. During the team's stop-over in Grenada, he was arrested along with three team-mates - Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed - and two female British tourists, and charged with possession of marijuana. Between 1994 and 1996 he took 84 wickets in 39 matches.

From January 1992 to December 1997 Akram played 131 matches took 198 wickets at an average of 21.86 with 14 4-wicket hauls in ODIs. In 1999, he led Pakistan to the brink of victory in the World Cup before they capitulated and was defeated by Australia in the final, by eight wickets with almost 30 overs to spare. This was the start of the match fixing controversies, as critics believed Akram had set up the match for Australia. However, none of the allegations could be proved.

He was Pakistan's best bowler in the 2003 Cricket World Cup taking 12 wickets in 6 matches. However, Pakistan failed to reach the super six of the tournament and Akram was one of the eight players to be sacked by the Pakistan Cricket Board as a result.

He hit like a kicking horse, but batsmanship was one skill in which Akram underachieved, despite a monumental 257 against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura in 1996-97. He was the natural successor to Imran Khan as Pakistan's leader and captain, but the match-fixing controversies of the 1990s harmed him, blunting his edge and dimming his lustre. Though he reached the 500-wicket landmark in ODIs in the 2003 World Cup, he was among the eight players dumped after Pakistan's miserable performance.

Perhaps the best left-arm fast bowler of all time, Wasim Akram could make the ball walk and talk like no one else did. An explosive, exciting genius who could change the game with the bat

Over my 15 or 16 years of playing international cricket in Tests and One Day Internationals, Wasim Akram is definitely the most outstanding bowler I've ever faced.	”
— Former West Indies batsman Brian Lara

Quote En Quote :

"I am against the ICC. The reason is it's run by all the goras [whites]."

Wasim Akram makes a comment that would get others in deep trouble. It also ignores the way the ICC is made up. Aside from that, nothing controversial

"Shoaib just comes and talks and plays one game, and then gets injured. He just thinks he is too good. He's the only one who praises himself all the time, which means there is something seriously wrong with him."

Wasim Akram lets rip at Shoaib Akhtar

"Trying to create the next Wasim Akram".

India's bowling coach, Joey Dawes, is asked about Ravindra Jadeja bowling seam-up in the nets.

Wasim Akram