Dale Steyn reminisces 'vivid memories' of Wasim Akram

Wasim was known as the 'Sultan of Swing' as he had the ability to move the ball both ways.

Published - 01 Jul 2018, 13:33 IST | Updated - 01 Jul 2018, 13:33 IST

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Wasim Akram is regarded as one of the best exponents of swing bowling. He didn’t have an intimidating run-up but knew every trick by the back of his palm to get the better of batsmen in a career which spanned 18 years. He was known as the ‘Sultan of Swing’ as he had the ability to move the ball both ways. He used to bowl at a pace which complemented his swing bowling.

He played 104 Tests in which he notched 414 wickets with as many as 25 five-wicket hauls, which are stupendous numbers, to say the least. The southpaw also played 356 ODIs and picked up 500 wickets, which manifests his wicket-taking ability. At the first class level, he piled 1042 wickets with 70 five-wicket hauls while in List A matches, Akram nipped out 881 scalps.

Steyn’s praises for Wasim

Akram made his international debut in an ODI where Pakistan locked horns with New Zealand at Faisalabad in 1985. He bowed out after playing in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup, hosted by South Africa and Zimbabwe. He has had a number of followers and his fandom hasn’t diminished even 15 years after his retirement. Dale Steyn, the Proteas speedster, is definitely an ardent supporter of Akram.

Steyn recently participated in the English domestic circuit for Hampshire and played both the first-class and the List A fixtures. Hampshire won the 50-over tournament as they beat Kent in the Final by 61 runs. Steyn produced a spell of 9-1-56-1 along with 32 dot balls. His career has been marred by injuries lately. He suffered a calf injury back in January in a Test versus India.

Nevertheless, he would be making a comeback in South African colors. He was drafted in the national Test team for their tour of Sri Lanka which starts later this month. Meanwhile, here are Steyn’s words on the times when he saw the Pakistani bowler for the first time.