Legendary pacer reflects on highlights of his 17-year career
\n Lahore
\nFormer Pakistan captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram has revealed his top five cricketers from his illustrious playing days, naming Sir Vivian Richards as the toughest batter he bowled to. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast alongside England greats Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, David Lloyd, and Phil Tufnell, Akram reflected on the highlights of his 17-year career.
\nWhen asked to name the best batter, the 59-year-old picked West Indies legend Sir Vivian Richards.
\n\u201cPeople often ask me who the best batsman I bowled to was. For me, it has to be Sir Vivian Richards. It\u2019s not just about his batting \u2014 it was the whole package, the charisma he carried with him,\u201d Akram said.
\nHe added that he also faced many other greats, including Allan Border, Graham Gooch, Sachin Tendulkar, and Brian Lara.
\n\u201cSir Viv was at the end of his career in 1987-88, but what a character he was \u2014 everyone\u2019s hero,\u201d Akram added.
\nThe legendary left-arm pacer went on to name the five best cricketers he played against during his career.
\n\u201cMy top has to be Imran Khan, because of what he did for Pakistan. Then Viv Richards, Martin Crowe, Brian Lara, and Sachin Tendulkar,\u201d he revealed.
\nAkram also recalled some of the toughest contests he faced, singling out Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist in ODIs.
\n\u201cI very rarely played against the great Ricky Ponting, but in ODIs, Adam Gilchrist was one who really troubled me,\u201d he admitted.
\nWhen asked about the best countries to play cricket in, Akram chose England and Australia.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s hard to pick just one. England is special because of its rich history, excellent facilities, knowledge of the game, and easy travel. And then, of course, Australia,\u201d he said.
\n\u201cI remember touring there in 1989 after my first year with Lancashire, and Imran [Khan] told me, \u2018If you perform against Australia in their own conditions, you\u2019ll be recognised straight away.\u2019 And that\u2019s exactly what happened,\u201d Akram concluded.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Legendary pacer reflects on highlights of his 17-year career Lahore Former Pakistan captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram has revealed his top five cricketers from his illustrious playing days, naming Sir Vivian Richards as the toughest batter he bowled to. Speaking on the Stick to Cricket podcast alongside England greats Michael Vaughan, Sir Alastair Cook, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":498032,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-498010","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n