Wasim Akram – Birthday – 5 best spells in international cricket

Pakistan veteran pacer Wasim Akram was one of the most feared bowlers during his prime days. Known as ‘Sultan of Swing’, the left-arm pacer played 356 ODIs and 104 Tests in which he scalped 502 and 414 wickets respectively. Akram also has a total of 31 five-wicket hauls under his name. As the legend has turned 56, let us take look at his five best spells in international cricket.

5 for 38 vs West Indies

The left-arm pacer showed his capabilities after taking a five-wicket haul against the strong-looking batting line-up of West Indies. To note, the left-arm pacer also took his first hattrick in that match. Playing against West Indies in 1989, Akram scalped some big wickets of Jeff Dujon, Malcolm Marshall, and Courtney Walsh. His side went on to win that contest by a margin of 11 runs.

3 for 45 vs Australia

Just six months after bagging his first hattrick, Akram repeated his antics against Australia. The left-arm pacer Akram picked his second hat-trick in ODI cricket and guided the Men in Green to a comfortable 36-run win against mighty Australia IN Sharjah in the final of the Austral-Asia Cup.

5 for 38 vs Sri Lanka

Akram grabbed his first Test hat-trick in 1999 during the Asian Test Championship. Playing against Sri Lanka, he scalped the crucial wickets of Romesh Kaluwitharana and then Niroshan Bandaratilleke, and Pramodya Wickramasinghe on two back-to-back deliveries. He picked a total of five wickets after spending just 38 runs with the match ending in a draw.

3 for 33 vs Sri Lanka

Akram made another record after he became the first player to grab two consecutive hat-tricks in Test matches. Playing against Sri Lanka, the left-arm pacer scalped wickets of Avishka Gunawardene, Chaminda Vaas, and Mahela Jayawardene during the second innings of the Test match, as his side went on to win the match by an innings and 175 runs.

3 for 20 vs England

Akram showed his true character during the final match of the 1996 World Cup. Playing against England, the Men in Green were in some sort of trouble during the second innings. However, the veteran pacer dismissed Allan Lamb and Chris Lewis on consecutive deliveries to put Pakistan in a commanding position. As a result, Pakistan went on to lift their maiden World Cup and Akram was adjudged player of the match for his bowling antics.