Bend it like Beckham, swing it like Akram!

Bend it like Beckham, swing it like Akram!: The one and only Sultan of swing turns 49 today! Today is the birthday of arguably the greatest fast bowler of all time. The man who was the first cricketer to take 400 wickets in both the formats, the one who is nicknamed as the Sultan of Swing, yes, the Legend, Wasim Akram is celebrating his 49th birthday today. June 3 seems to be a legendary day as today is also the birthday of tennis legend Rafael Nadal.

There are new-ball bowlers, death overs specialists but Wasim is a rare blend of both, he could sting the opposition batsmen with his precision of line and length with the new ball and later be effective with the old ball as well. He is a very difficult bowler to get away as he swings it both ways and to add more strength to his armory, he also was capable of reverse swinging the ball an art which is now in extinction in world cricket.

Akram is one of those very rare bowlers who was equally effective both with the new ball as well as the old ball. With the new ball he could harm you with his impeccable swing and with the old ball he’d hurt you with his deadly in-swinging Yorkers. He was a nightmare for most batsmen, and even legends like Ricky Ponting admitted that Akram was the toughest bowler that he had ever faced. The Pakistani treasure was also selected in the 2013 list of all time playing XI in tests released by Wisden.

Wasim Akram was particularly good in world cups. He nearly won Pakistan their second world cup in 1999 but unfortunately the team didn’t click as a unit and failed to win the match. Akram was also the leading wicket taker for Pakistan in the 2003 World cup. He also holds the record for the most number of hat tricks in international cricket (four). Akram is a classical example of why you don’t necessarily have to be express fast in order to be a successful fast bowler.

Though he was not express fast, but bowled with a genuine pace which was good enough for him to rattle the opposition batsmen with his incredible prowess and dexterity. He was useful in the lower order with the bat as well and his high score of 257 in tests backs up the claims that he was a really useful all-rounder for Pakistan. Akram was also the bowling coach of the IPL winning Kolkatta Knight Riders unit. He was diagnosed of diabetes when he was aged 30 but that didn’t make him budge one bit. With steely resolve and unabating zeal he fought back courageously and never let the illness hinder him and affect his performance. Cricket never saw and will never see another Wasim Akram, he is a man for all seasons, a humble legend who is a source of motivation for millions of aspiring fast bowlers. Bend it like Beckham, swing it like Wasim Akram! We wish a very happy birthday to Waz on behalf of the CricTracker Family!