Wasim Akram: the Sultan of Swing

Left-arm fast bowlers are not rare in cricket history, but few have swung the ball both ways, with the new ball and the old, as Wasim Akram did. He played for Pakistan for nearly two decades, was a key member of the team that won the 1992 World Cup, captained the side for years, and retired with more than 400 wickets in both Tests and one-day internationals. The cricket world remembers him as the "Sultan of Swing".

Early life and start in cricket

Wasim Akram was born in Lahore on 3 June 1966. Like many young men, he began with tape-ball cricket in the streets, then played for a Lahore club. His arrival in the national team came remarkably early. At trials at the Gaddafi Stadium, he was not at first given a chance to bowl. When he was, Javed Miandad was so impressed by his pace and style that he pressed for the young man’s inclusion in the team². Thus a boy with almost no domestic cricket experience suddenly found himself in international cricket.

He played his first one-day international against New Zealand in Faisalabad on 23 November 1984, and his first Test against the same side in Auckland on 25 January 1985. A few weeks later, on 24 February 1985, he took 5 wickets for 21 runs against Australia in a one-day match in Melbourne. The cricket world realised for the first time that Pakistan had found a special bowler. In the Test against the West Indies in Faisalabad on 24 October 1986, he took 6 wickets for 91 runs and scored 66 in the same match, showing that he could also contribute with the bat¹.

The peak years and the 1992 World Cup

In the late 1980s, Wasim Akram also began playing for the English county Lancashire, where he led the bowling attack for years and became a favourite of local crowds. On 14 October 1989 in Sharjah, he took 5 wickets for 38 runs against the West Indies and also took a hat-trick in the same match¹².

The 1990 tour of Australia was memorable for him. On 12 January he took 6 wickets for 62 runs in the Melbourne Test. On 19 January he scored 123 in Adelaide, his first Test century. In February, he made 86 in a one-day match, also in Melbourne, the highest score of his one-day career¹.

Then came the 1992 World Cup, played in Australia and New Zealand. In the final against England in Melbourne, Wasim Akram first scored quick runs. When he took the ball, he dismissed Ian Botham early on. Later, when he was brought back, the old ball was reverse-swinging. In a single over he bowled Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis with successive deliveries, turning the match in Pakistan’s favour. He was named man of the match in the final. His 6 wickets for 67 runs in the Oval Test during the England tour that summer continued his superb form¹. The following year, Wisden named him among its Cricketers of the Year².

Captaincy and memorable performances

Between 1993 and 1999, Wasim Akram captained Pakistan in 25 Tests and took 107 wickets in them. From 1993 to 2000, he captained in 109 one-day internationals and took 158 wickets. The burden of captaincy did not weaken his bowling. On the New Zealand tour in February 1994, he took 6 wickets for 43 runs in Auckland and 7 for 119 in Wellington, his best Test figures. His best one-day figures came against Zimbabwe in Karachi on 24 December 1993, when he took 5 wickets for 15 runs in 7 overs¹.

In October 1996, in the Test against Zimbabwe in Sheikhupura, he produced a feat with the bat that is still remembered: 257 not out off 363 balls, including 22 fours and 12 sixes. A week later in Faisalabad, he took 6 wickets for 48 runs against the same side, showing that his true identity was as a bowler¹.

At the 1999 World Cup, he led Pakistan to the final as captain, where Australia won. His partnership with fellow fast bowler Waqar Younis, known as the "Two Ws", was counted among the most feared bowling pairs in the world throughout that era².

The final years

His edge remained in the new century. In May 2000, he took 6 wickets for 61 runs against the West Indies in St John’s, Antigua. In June 2000, he scored 100 off just 89 balls in Galle, Sri Lanka, his third and last Test century. His last Test was against Bangladesh in Dhaka on 9 January 2002. At the 2003 World Cup, his 5 wickets for 28 runs against Namibia in Kimberley was his last major performance. The match against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo on 4 March 2003 proved to be his last one-day international¹.

Statistics

Source: ESPNcricinfo Statsguru¹. The figures are for his international career.

Influence and legacy

Wasim Akram’s real strength was his variety. His action was quick and compact. He bowled with equal skill from both sides of the wicket, controlled swing both into and away from the batter, and his inswinging yorker was a nightmare for batters. His name stands out among those who introduced the art of reverse swing, which became the hallmark of Pakistani fast bowlers, to the world².

His 414 Test wickets and 502 one-day wickets bear witness to his long and consistent success¹. West Indies’ Brian Lara, speaking to Fox Cricket, called him the "most threatening fast bowler" of his career⁴. Australia’s Ricky Ponting named him and the West Indies’ Curtly Ambrose as the best fast bowlers he had faced⁵. He was inducted into the ICC Hall of Fame in 2009³, and in 2013 Wisden included him in its all-time Test World XI².