F.P. Report
ISLAMABAD: While cherishing memories of his playing days, former speedster Shoaib Akhtar has insisted that he did not know the art of fast bowling and it was erstwhile captain Wasim Akram, who turned him into a star by teaching him the skills.
“If someone has contributed a lot in my career that’s the one and only Wasim Akram. Had he not been there it would have been very difficult for me to play for Pakistan. I didn’t know bowling and I was taught it by him. He made me bowl in such situations where I was able to pick up wickets. I was made star in the World Cup [by him],” Shoaib said in a video on his YouTube channel.
Refuting the fallacy of spot fixing about Wasim Akram, he said that his recent statement about the former great was twisted by a section of press and presented out of the context. “Recently, I’ve given a statement that Wasim Akram has never approached me for fixing and he has never talked to me about that till today. He never talked such a thing with any youngster.
“We always used to sit together and talk to each other, but we never even could imagine that he’ll talk about that. I’m not ready to accept such a thing that I’ve never seen. It is really injustice to say such things about him. I didn’t see nothing wrong with the great Wasim Akram,” added Shoaib.
Heaping praises upon Wasim, he said that the real side of the story was that after legendary Imran Khan there had been rarely a captain apart from Wasim Akram, who had been taking pains for Pakistan team’s wins. “I think he was the most honest and hardworking captain in Pakistan’s history after Imran Khan.”
Recalling his playing days, the Rawalpindi Express said that Wasim Akram came for his rescue on numerous occasions. “You might be thinking that I was a very brave fast bowler. And rightly so as I was of that stuff. But there were times, when I found myself in trouble.
Had I bowled on such occasions, Pakistan would have lost the matches. On such occasions, Wasim Akram saved me by taking ball into his own hands and asking me it’s okay, you just relax, I’ll handle [the situation]. And then, I saw Pakistan winning all those matches,” who is considered as the fastest bowler in the history of cricket, delivering a world record top speed of 161.3 km/h in a pool match against England during the 2003 Cricket World Cup.
“I don’t know much about his bowling before 1997. But I can say with sure that after that time [when I became part of the team], he single-handedly won at least 50 to 60 matches for Pakistan in front of me.”
He also recalled that as how Wasim Akram was suffering from back injury but despite that he worked hard and bowled to ensure Pakistan emerge victorious.
“Being a captain he could have avoided [bowling] by asking me or others to bowl, but he didn’t do that. I’ve seen several captains saving themselves, but never found Wasim Akram doing that,” he maintained.
Shoaib said that whenever somebody talked about that allegations of spot-fixing were hurled upon Wasim Akram, he simply told them that it was not true. “I told them straightaway that I would not accept that. Wasim has never done [discussed] such a thing with me. I’ve spent around 25 years with him. He also remained my captain for around 10 years but he has never talked such a thing with me, then how can I accept that?”
“All of a sudden a news is published that Shoaib has said that if Wasim Akram had talked to me about that I would have destroyed him.
“Do you think that I’m such an individual, who will leave if such a thing takes place? Definitely not as I’m an outspoken person, who makes no delay to tell the truth. But this is totally wrong.
I’m not going into the details of the commission. I’ve also nothing to do with that as whatever [some] people are saying. I’m just placing my own opinion in front of you.”
Shoaib also dispelled the impression that Wasim Akram did not want to play him in the team stating that it was totally wrong.
He said that had Wasim not been captain of the team, there was ever possibility he would not have even played for Pakistan.
“Stop dragging his name. He is the best fastest bowler the world has ever produced in 200 years. So please save your brand,” he emphasized.
