Wasim Akram
Wasim’s great career was often tainted by controversy, not least in the Caribbean in April 1993, his maiden tour as Pakistan’s captain. During the team’s stop-over in Grenada, he was arrested along with three team-mates - Waqar Younis, Aqib Javed and Mushtaq Ahmed - and two female British tourists, and charged with possession of marijuana. The Pakistan management strongly protested the charges, claiming that the players had been “set up” in a bid to unsettle the squad. The row reached diplomatic levels as Grenadan cricket officials lobbied the Prime Minister, Nicholas Braitwaite, and asked him to intervene on the players’ behalf. In the end the storm blew over, but the start of the first Test in Trinidad was postponed by a day to allow the players to recover from the mental stress. http://www.espncricinfo.com/magazine/content/story/263383.html
However if asked to name the 3 most mentally resilient Pak cricketers my list w'd be as follows:
Imran Khan
Javed Miandad
Waqar Younis
Between the two W's, Waqar was mentally stronger than Wasim, although the latter was more naturally gifted, possessing a greater armoury of deliveries, a point noted by none other than Imran Khan himself. If things started to go against you, Wasim's shoulders would drop under pressure while Waqar often relished the challenge
In my humble opinion Akram was the best fast bowler of the three and produced some very fine spells leading to Pak victories.
It may derail the thread but Wasim Akram produced crucial spells in pressure situations year after year. Not to belittle Waqar in any sense though. He has his own moments under pressure.
Waqar Younis was never the same bowler once his pace dropped (after 1996) following a stress fracture of the back. Waqar started more explosively than Wasim averaging < 20 with the ball with a SR of < 40 during his initial 40 odd tests, most of his victims being bowled or LBW. He was definitely more destructive than Wasim then. Wasim took a while to develop into a perfect fast bowler. If I am not mistaken his bowling average was in the late 20s/early 30s during his initial 30 odd tests but it improved with time. Overall I w'd also go for Wasim because he possessed greater variations in pace etc. and also being left-arm adds more variety to the attack
In my humble opinion Akram was the best fast bowler of the three and produced some very fine spells leading to Pak victories.
Wasim was a better one-day bowler and Imran a better test bowler IMO. 3 of Imran's 6 ten-wicket hauls in 88 tests are in away series - 12/165 in Sydney (1976), 10/77 at Headingley (Leeds, 1987), 11/121 at Georgetown (Guyana, 1988) - all of them resulting in Pak victories. Wasim had 5 ten-wicket hauls in 104 tests.
Interestingly (and I believe rightly), Shoaib Akhtar is not in any one's top 3.
Well Shoaib would have been there in my Top 3 if he would not have wasted his 4 5 precious years he would have been in the league of Waqar but still to me He is by far one of the most feared bowlers in Cricket
I dont think so, he along with Waqar was accused in Windies but the case was never proved.
Wasim was a better one-day bowler and Imran a better test bowler IMO. 3 of Imran's 6 ten-wicket hauls in 88 tests are in away series - 12/165 in Sydney (1976), 10/77 at Headingley (Leeds, 1987), 11/121 at Georgetown (Guyana, 1988) - all of them resulting in Pak victories. Wasim had 5 ten-wicket hauls in 104 tests.
IMO All trio had their own league .....Imran Khan was a great Test Bowler,Wasim was awesome in ODI's and Waqar had a great strike rate
Wasim was the 1st bowler to take 400 wickets in both forms of Game
Imran Khan was a Great All Rounder
Waqar had the best Strike Rate in the business
GA: I think both Wasim and Imran great test records. When Imran was playing, rules were not as batsmen friendly as they were during Wasim's times. And Wasim's test record is still phenomenal!
GA: I think both Wasim and Imran great test records. When Imran was playing, rules were not as batsmen friendly as they were during Wasim's times. And Wasim's test record is still phenomenal!
Imran bowled against better batsmen notably a certain Sir Viv Richards and Sunil Gavaskar (the man arguably possessing the most water-tight defence in the history of the game) :D Fast bowlers hunt in pairs. Imran's record is great despite him not having great support from the other end. Sarfraz was not as good or lethal as the two W's and both Wasim and Waqar benefited greatly from their mutual rivalry
Hence I stick by my assertion:
Imran a better test bowler
Wasim a better ODI bowler
Being at the top of the ranking does not define greatness if thats the case, that will make Methew HAyden greater than Lara which everyone will tell you is not true.
Link that you have posted only tell “all time highest xxx” ratings. I’d rather be consistently among top 6-7 players during my whole career than being #1 one year and out of first 20 during rest of the years.