Akram confirms retirement, Anwar considers his future
Charlie Austin - 10 September 2002
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Pakistan fast bowling great Wasim Akram confirmed on Tuesday that he would retire after the ICC World Cup in South Africa next year.
Speaking at a press conference in Colombo before Pakistan’s first game in the ICC Champions Trophy against Sri Lanka on Thursday, the 36-year-old claimed the time had come to hang up his boots.
“The World cup will be my last tournament,” he said. “There is a right time for everything and I think that will be the right time to go.”
Looking back on a career that has spanned 17 years, including 104 Tests and a staggering 342 ODIs, touching both glory and controversy, Akram claims to be leaving with no regrets.
" I have had ups and downs, my career has been a roller coaster ride," he admitted. “But it has all been worth it and I’ve had a ball.”
Providing he is selected, he hopes to bow out with a bang – a Pakistan victory in what would be his fifth World Cup.
“It would be a dream come true if we could win the World Cup. I couldn’t ask for more than that, it would be a perfect ending,” he said.
Afterwards, he is unsure what life has in store.
“I’ve no idea what I am going to do afterwards,” he said. “I am not the kind of guy that plans things. I will take six months off sleeping, watching cricket and spending time with my family.”
“I’m not the coaching sort – you have to be very organised and always be planning ahead – but I obviously I want to help cricket, promoting the game around the world.”
Akram has taken 414 Test wickets at 23.62 and 478 ODI wickets at 23.78 – the only player in the world to pass 400 in both forms of the game.
Meanwhile, left-handed opener Saeed Anwar, scorer of 8525 runs at 38.75 in ODIs, hinted that he is also on the verge of bidding farewell.
The religious 34-year-old is struggling for his place in the side and is anxious to leave on a high note.
“This ICC trophy could be the turning point of my life,” he said, somewhat dramatically. “I will see how it goes and then decide on my future.”
He explained: "I have played cricket with dignity and respect, always performing at the highest level. I still have the zest for cricket but do not want to hang around if I am not performing.
“I wanted to play another two years but I think it is the right time to go,” he said.
Unlike Akram, he expects to make a clear break with the game: “I won’t hang around the game, not as a commentator, not as an umpire or coach.”
