10 Dressing room secrets in cricket history

8. Wasim Akram’s narrow escape after sledging Sir Viv Richards

While this incident had vigorously shaped up when the great Wasim Akram was initially enjoying his infant international cricket days back in 1987, Sir Viv Richards on the other hand was already well renowned to give a piece of his mind whenever someone had direly sledged him. The great Wasim Akram who has often bowled some staggering match-winning spells especially recalls this occurrence as a lucky narrow escape for him even after unpleasantly pissing off Sir Viv.

By revisiting this incident in a chat show, Akram said that “Since I was bowling well to Viv Richards, it pumped him up to an extent that I exchanged few words with Viv which certainly didn’t go well with him”. Further “He would have hit me a lot in 1988. He was a muscular guy and I was very skinny. It was the last over of the match and I was bowling at a good pace. I had realized by then that I have become fast. Viv Richards realized I was a difficult bowler and thought I have a quick-arm action. I bowled a bouncer at him and his cap fell down. Someone like Viv Richards dropping his cap was a big deal,”

“There used to be no match referee back then and I went up to him and sledged in him in my broken English. He spat after staring at me and said ‘don’t do this man’. I understood nothing but just the man’s word. I said ‘ok, no worries’ and went to my captain Imran Khan and told him that Richards is asking me not to abuse him, or else he’ll beat me up. Imran told me not to worry and bowl him, bouncers. I bowled him a bouncer and abused him after he ducked. On the last ball of the day, I bowled an in-swinger and he was bowled. I even went up to him and gave him a good send-off, shouting things like ‘go back and all’”.

Eventually, after the end of the day’s play when all players had gone back to their respective dressing rooms, Wasim Akram while then taking off his shoes was asked by a guy to come out, and here’s what Wasim Akram faced.

“When I went out I saw Viv Richards standing without his shirt. He was sweating and having his bat in his hand, he also had his pads on. I got scared and ran back to Imran Khan. I told him that Viv Richards was waiting for me with a bat in his hand. Imran Khan told ‘what should I do. It’s your fight, go and handle it’. I went out and told him sorry. I told him that nothing of this sort will happen again and he said you better not, I will kill you. My street smartness worked for me then,”