Someone told me that Wasim Akram is the tallest Pakistani cricket player ever... Does anyone know if this is true or not? I cant seem to recall anyone longer than Wasim bhai in our team.
He is the inspiration for me to watch Pakistan.
Im sure every Pakistani's head was held up really high when Wasim Akram was taking down teh wickets against Australia on Tuesday. Had it been anyone else.. I might have just gave a way to go. But we're talking about the Legend himself!
Cricket without Wasim Akram? It's not possible!
Awesome thread... loved reading all the comments of Wasim "the Champ" Akram
He is a Legend, definitely! A person to be idolized!
agreed!
well said:k:
As Akram prepares to retire after the World Cup, I feel I should watch each and every bowl he throws for I may never be able to see as great a bowler in action as Akram. Since he is about to make an amazing record of 500 ODI wickets, I think the ICC should give him a special prize at the final's ceremoney.
i still remember the commentary by richie benaud that day:
first delivery:
Ohhhhh…Allan Lamb has been cleaned up…perhaps so too England!
next delviery:
Wasim Akram is on a hat-trick…played ON!!
certainly one of my favorite cricketers of all-time!
one of the few who can challenge the great West Indies fast bowlers…maybe even better than them :k:
Good one Nescio.
But I doubt if Chris Lewis played on to the stumps. I believe it was a clean hit on the furniture. I will have to go watch the video tonight to make sure.
:)
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by funguy: *
Good one Nescio.
But I doubt if Chris Lewis played on to the stumps. I believe it was a clean hit on the furniture. I will have to go watch the video tonight to make sure.
:)
[/QUOTE]
yes, i thought it was a clean hit too!!!
maybe benaud said: play on!
but i think later on they were still saying that he played on........will watch it too tonight :D:D
Could it be that Richie Benaud said, " The game is ON (now)" ?
:D
I'm pretty sure Richie Benaud was talking about the batsmen England would look to to win the match... and Akram knocked over Lamb and Benaud said "...well you can strike Lamb from that list.."
Next ball he ripped through Lewis and Benaud said "you can strike Lewis from it too..."
Do check the vids and get back to us with confirmation please.
I watched the tape at least 20 times in the past 11 years. But only the highlights. So, I maybe missing some of the comments in between.
Mr. X's comments sound more like it.
i'm 100% sure of the fisrt delivery. that u can remove lamb's name from the list....he has been cleaned up......and with him probably england has been cleaned up too........agreed with MrX
---->Allan Lamb has been cleaned up....perhaps so too england
as for Lewis.....i'm sure too, but only doubting about:
'play*ed* on' or 'play on'
what a tribute…
Van Vuuren revels in career high
Namibian Rudolph van Vuuren has described hitting a boundary off Pakistan fast bowler Wasim Akram as the highlight of his career.
Van Vuuren, who has now represented his country at both the rugby union and cricket World Cups, scored 14 runs as his side lost by 171 runs.
But the 30-year-old was beaming despite the margin of defeat.
He said: “It’s an honour to play in both the World Cups, but hitting a boundary off one of my idols is a moment I will always cherish. I will tell my children that I hit a boundary off the great bowler and they will also enjoy it.”
Van Vuuren, a doctor by profession who treats AIDS patients, revealed why his Akram boundary had been all the more important. The Namibian, who had his bat signed by Wasim after the game, added: "I first saw Wasim at the 1992 World Cup taking two magic wickets in the final.
“And since then I have idolised him.”
Link: BBC SPORT | Cricket World Cup 2003 | Team Pages | Namibia | Van Vuuren revels in career high
[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Mr Xtreme: *
I'm pretty sure Richie Benaud was talking about the batsmen England would look to to win the match... and Akram knocked over Lamb and Benaud said "...well you can strike Lamb from that list.."
Next ball he ripped through Lewis and Benaud said "you can strike Lewis from it too..."
Do check the vids and get back to us with confirmation please.
[/QUOTE]
I just watched it, Regarding Lamb he said, Lamb has been cleaned up, perhaps so too England
as for Lewis other commentator was suggesting that Lewis and other big hitters to follow and then He bowled him and Benaud said Subtract Lewis from that list....
ur right about the lewis part! :k:
i guess that in the high-lights they cut that part…
Regarding Lamb ... Lamb has been cleaned up, perhaps so to England..
Before Lewis walked out on the crease the other commentator said "England relying on a lot of allrounders towards the end of their innings.. Lewis, Pringle Deffrates(however you spell it), Fairbrother is still there". After that the next comment was... "Subtract Lewis from the list Wasim Akram is on hatric.. played on"
Now he did say played on... though it wasnt. It was a big inswinger .. Lewis went on the front foot and had no idea where and when the ball came and took his off stump.
^very right :k:
The article is written by the iceman Steve Waugh. found it when I was looking for something in the cricinfo archives. He seems to admire the Ws a lot.
The Bradman of Bowlers: Steve Waugh
With the first Test against Pakistan only a few weeks away, it is
worth examining why they are renowned as a team capable of pul-
ling off miraculous victories when all seems lost while being a
team prone to easy defeats for no apparent reason.
I guess the reason for the amount of tremendous victories against
seeminly overwhelming odds lies in the fact they have many
players who have enough individual flair to turn a Test on its
head. The two players most noted for these Hurculean feats are
the awesome pace duo of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram, who togeth-
er must rate with the great opening bowler combinations in the
history of the game. While Akram is rated by many as a techni-
cally better bowler, Waqars statistics suggest he is the closest thing weve seen to the quivalent of the Bradman of bowlers. So
far Waqar has taken 190 wickets from only 33 Tests at an average
of 19 - a phenomenal achievement which is even more impressive
when you realise he has taken five or more wickets in an innings
15 times. Waqars strengths lie in his broad shoulders and strong physique which enables him to generate enormous pace and extract venom out of even the most docile of wickets. He always lets you know youre in a contest, whether it be verbally or
through his body language and possesses a lethal late inswinger
when bowling with the older ball, which is hard enough to handle
for-top order batsmen and near impossible for the tailenders to
negotiate safely without either losing your stumps or a couple of
toes on the way through.
Akram is probably rated the world`s best bowler by his peers as
he can bowl any type of delivery without altering his action and
generate enormous pace from a short run-up due to his explosive
last couple of strides. He can be at his most dangerous when all
appears lost and he attempts to trick the batsmen by looking
tired or injured during a spell only to fire up and bowl like a
man possessed, catching his opponents off-guard. These two
players will be the key to the series and if we can keep them re-
latively quiet we will be on the way to a successful series.
On the batting front I wouldnt be surprised to see one of the all-time great competitors, Javed Miandad, line up against us again. Now here is a man who loves batting and loves a chalenge. He is one of the few players in world cricket to have a chat to bowlers when batting, such is his confident nature and self- belief that it wont interfere with his own game. He is the ultimate street fighter and saves his best for when he has been
backed into a corner against the odds, the sign of a world-class
player.
If he is in their side the Pakistanis will be a much tougher,
well-organised unit and harder to beat. Of the other batsmen in
their side, two stand out as potential match winners, Inzamam Ul
Haq and Saeed Anwar. Inzamam has already denied us a Test victo-
ry, being involved in a famous last-wicket stand of 59 to defeat
us in Karachi on our last tour to Pakistan. He is brutally
strong and loves to dominate an attack, particularly on the slow,
low wickets found regularly on the sub-continent.
Inzamam can turn the flow of a Test in a session as he scores
quickly and destroys opposing teams` game plans, much in the same
way as Anwar. Saeed is the easiest of their batsmen to watch and
can play every shot in the book like Michael Slater. He will try
to dominate from the outset and is capable of improvising when
the situation arises, which has an unsettling effect on bowlers.
As you can see, they have more than enough individually gifted
players but as a team they can sometimes be divided, which goes
long way to explaining their inconsistency. It is of vital im-
portance that we dominate from ball one in the series, so we can
suppress the individual brilliance that lies within their team
and try to force home the theory that when they are losing they
tend to squabble among themselves.
The news of Dean Jones receiving a new ACB contract can only be
seen in a positive light for the return to higher honors for this
very talented player. Many fans have been dismayed at his recent
non-selection and will be rejoicing in this apparent lifeline.
Jonesy was the fulcrum around which Australia enjoyed much one-
day success in the late 80s and early 90s with his aggressive
attitude, motivational qualities and hustlinig type of game that
proved to be a thorn in every opposing side. If he continues on
from his great domestic form of last season and gets selected for
the World Cup, there will be many disappointed opponents, as he
is a well respected and feared cricketer and one that many didnt want to confront again. On the flip-side to Jones great news
was the disappointment for Merv Hughes not winning a con-
tract. Hopefully this will give Merv added incentive to make it
back into the international arena.
Source: Sports Weekly (October 17, 1995)
I have a kind advise to Gen. Tauqeer to make this legendary fast bowler our bowling coach for next five years after his retirement. Let him visit the whole country and dig out the raw and wild talent of fast bowling. He should get atleast 5 bowlers under his supervision. He can even pick the youth from schools, from grade 10. Then groom them up and transfer the magic in the new generation. I bet thats how we will get some immediate replacement as well as we can secure our dominating pace attack for another decade.