F.P. Report
LAHORE: Pakistan’s cricket legend Wasim Akram, who holds the title of Sultan of Swing for his unmatchable ability to swing the ball both ways, is celebrating his 57th birthday today (Saturday).
His massive fan following has been showering him with lots of love and best wishes on his birthday. His wife Shaniera Akram also shared an adorable birthday note on Twitter, asking his fans to read his biography.
“To all the lovers of this legend, go read his story. And to all the sheep out there who don’t have a mind of their own, go read his story. A remarkable story of your Bhai, the Sultan of Swing,” reads first part of Shaniera’s tweet.
In second part, he wished happy birthday to the former cricketer. “Happy Birthday @wasimakramlive A father, a husband, one of the greatest cricketers of all time and true living legend,” she concluded.
The left-arm pacer, born in Lahore on June 3, 1966, started his international career at the age of 18 years in ODIs in 1984 and made Test debut a year later against New Zealand.
The 1992 World Cup winner picked up 956 international wickets in his illustrious career. He sent 414 batsmen to pavilion in 104 Tests with best figures of 7/119 and took most number of wickets, 502, in 356 ODIs as fast bowler with best performance of 5/15.
The Sultan of Swing ensured Pakistan’s victory in the 1992 World Cup by picking up back-to-back wickets of Allan lamb and Chris Lewis on crucial moment of the game.
Wasim Akram was declared Man of the Match in the final and was also the top wicket-taker of the tournament. He has two hat-tricks to his name in each Tests as well as ODIs.
The legend retired from international cricket in 2003. He has now associated himself with cricket commentary and coaching.