Alan Mullally reveals banter with Wasim Akram and Steve Waugh

Very few around the world have heard of Allan Mullally simply due to the fact that he was a tall and lanky left-arm pacer who was a part of the England team for a very short period of time. However, the 19 Test matches and the 50 ODIs Mullally played for England were more than enough for the retired pacer to write a book, chronically depicting his cricketing adventures.

Things came to a halt when he began speaking about some of the words he exchanged with some of the great players of yesteryear. Wasim Akram and Steve Waugh, former captains and legends in their own right were a part of the passage, to say the least. Allan Mullally went on to enumerate how he called Wasim Akram an ‘idiot’ for dismissing him on 24.

Whilst batting against Pakistan, David Lloyd said that he would buy Mullally 30 pints of Guinness (Irish Ale) if he scored over 30 runs in an innings. Thus, the fateful innings came against Pakistan where he managed 24 and even signalled to the dressing room for the same.

However, a few short minutes later, Mullally was bowled by a slower delivery from Wasim Akram. Whilst walking off, the duo indulged in a banter. Ironically, Akram stated that had he known about the ordeal, he would have ensured that Mullally would have reached the 30-run mark by bowling half-volleys and full-tosses.

ESPNCricinfo quoted him as saying, “I didn’t take myself seriously with the bat. Of course, I was shit. But I loved it.”

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He stated, “Lloyd said he’d buy me 30 pints of Guinness if I could score 30 against Pakistan. I got to 24, gave the dressing room the signal to get them in, and then Wasim Akram bowled me with a slower ball.”

“Walking off, I told him that he was an idiot because he could have shared the Guinness with me. Wasim said that if I’d told him about Bumble’s promise, he would have bowled half-volleys to get me to 30,” he added.

And he said, ‘What do you follow-through so far for, Mullally? Anyone would think you’re a fast bowler.’ And I said, ‘Look, Mr. Stephen Waugh, the reason I follow through so far is because I’m a very poor athlete and it takes a long time to put the brakes on.’

The former England pacer also had a few stories to share about the Ashes series wherein he had a few run-ins with the likes of Glenn McGrath and Steve Waugh. “McGrath was getting stuck into me with his mouth once and I said, ‘I’m not interested in your gobshite. If you want to have a full go, I’ll meet you round the back after the game.’

“He got fined three and a half grand and he bought me a beer afterward`, and he goes: ‘Al, that beer just cost me three and a half grand.’ And we laughed about it,” he said.