27 Interesting Facts About Wasim Akram

If we talk about the top three pace bowlers of all time, then Wasim Akram has to be one of them. With his smooth bowling run-up and action, Wasim Akram has bamboozled the best batsmen in the world bowling inswingers, outswingers, yorkers, and bouncers. Akram was a handy lower-order batsman too who wouldn’t get out easily. In his 19 years of international career (1984-2003), the paceman got more than 900 wickets. Skyblogs has listed some of his interesting facts about Wasim Akram, which may make cricket fans delighted. 

Interesting Facts About Wasim Akram

1. Wasim Akram was born on 3rd June 1966 in Lahore, Pakistan. 

2. Akram’s father Chaudhary Muhammed Akram was an inhabitant of a village close by Amritsar but after the partition of India, he moved to Kamonki, Pakistani Punjab. 

3. Wasim Akram used to go to Government Islamia College, Civil Lines, Lahore. 

4. It was legendary Pakistan batsman Javed Miandad who spotted the talent of 18 years old Wasim Akram. people believe that Imran khan found the young guy however, Imran Khan was out of the team at that moment and got back to national duty in 1985 and started mentoring Akram to make him a beast like him. 

5. For producing unplayable swing with the ball, Akram was called “Sultan of Swing”. 

6. Wasim made his first appearance in domestic cricket in 1984 for Pakistan Automobiles Corporation. 

7. The greatest left-arm seamer of all time made his international debut in an ODI match against New Zealand in 1984 in Faislabad. Wasim bowled only 4 overs and was wicket-less. 

8. Akram is the 2nd highest wicket-taker in ODIs with 502 wickets in 356 ODIs (most by any pacer in ODI). 

9. Wasim Akram played a crucial for Pakistan to win the 1992 World Cup, he ended up as the highest wicket-taker of the tournament with 18 wickets in 10 games. 

10. The Pakistani legend made his debut in the longest format of the game in 1985 against New Zealand. He has grabbed the most Test wickets for his country 414 wickets in 104 tests. 

11. In his very 2nd test, Akram skittled through the kiwi lineup in Dunedin in 1985, scalping 10/128 in the match.

12. Akram was a handy batsman too. In the test format, Akram’s best score is 257* which came against Zimbabwe in 1997. The southpaw smacked 12 sixes in his innings.

13. Wasim Akram shares the record of taking the most international hat-tricks with Lasith Malinga. Akram has taken two hat-tricks apiece in test and ODI. 

14. Wasim was a match-winner for the Pakistan side. He bagged 17 Man of the Match award in his Test career, which is 3rd most by any player.

15. Akram holds a unique record of scoring 2nd highest runs without a century in ODI, 3717 runs in 356 ODIs. Misbah Ul-Haq is topping this record.

16. Wasim Akram is the only player in the world who has ended up on the losing side despite grabbing 10 wickets in a test match thrice. 

17.  Pakistan team has played a lot of cricket in UAE. Wasim has taken 122 wickets in the Sharjah Cricket Ground, which is the highest by any bowler in a single venue in ODI.

18. In 1992, the England Cricket team accused Akram of ball-tampering. But due to lack of evidence, England has to take back their word. 

19. Akram played for Lancashire County Cricket Club for 10 years (1998-1998). In 2003, the left-arm seamer bagged 8 wickets in 5 matches. 

20. Because of tension at the border, Pakistani players didn’t feature in IPL post-2008. However, Akram served as a bowling coach of KKR for few years (2010-14). 

21. Wasim Akram is the vice president of the recently concluded disputed Kashmir Premier League. 

22. Akram published his autobiography “Wasim” along with British writer Patrick Murphy in 1998.

23. Against India Wasim has taken 60 ODI wickets, which is the most by any bowler among Indian and Pakistani players. 

24. In 2015, an unknown man openly fired at Akram’s car at Kasroz Road near the Karachi Stadium. Fortunately, he didn’t sustain any injury or bruise. 

25. Wasim Akram’s first wife was Huma Mufti, who he married in 1995. They have two sons together. Due to multiple organ failures, Huma died in Chennai’s Apollo Hospital in 2008. He married an Australian girl called “Shaniera Thompson” in 2013. 

26. Wasim used to wear jersey No.3. 

27. His estimated net worth is $25 million. 

28. Wasim Akram holds a stake in a sports site called Cricingif.