An incisive bowler with a creative mind

``IT IS in my mind. I have to think a lot. I try and prove things to myself and in the process to the critics too. I have this mental and physical strength to rise to the occasion.''

Wasim Akram has always said that he draws his strength to carry on from his mind.

This year was no different and has been a momentous one for the legendary Pakistani left-arm seamer, who reached the 400-wicket mark in Test cricket in June (against Sri Lanka in Colombo) while the second Test against England, which began at Faisalabad on Wednesday, is his 100th .

Akram has become only the third Pakistan cricketer (after Javed Miandad and Salim Malik) and 24th worldwide to reach the landmark number of Test matches while only Courtney Walsh, Kapil Dev and Ian Botham, among bowlers, have played over 100 Tests. Curtly Ambrose, who hung his boots recently after completing the magical 400, played in 98.

Akram has said that after achieving this distinction he would review his future in the game after every six months. ``I want to carry on, but with performance. I don't want to linger on in case the performance level drops,'' said Akram, who has claimed over 400 wickets in limited overs cricket (the only bowler to have done so) apart from conjuring up two hat-tricks each in both forms of the game.

In a wonderful career that began in 1984-85, Akram took a 10- wicket haul in only his second Test, against New Zealand at Dunedin. He was 18 years then, and is still the youngest to achieve that feat.

The road has been long and winding, punctuated with pitfalls, his name figured in the match-fixing scandal, he was fined Rs. three lakhs and censured in Justice Qayyum's report. While being the captain, Akram had to once face a players' revolt, led by his pace partner Waqar Younis. But one thing was clear all the while though, that he was a true match winner and a great bowler.

He is one among the four outstanding bowlers of the left-hand variety in post-War cricket. Bill Johnson, Allan Davidson (both Australia) and Sir Gary Sobers are the others.

While Davidson, Johnson and Sobers had classical actions, Akram's is mixed, inclined to open, which is why he is capable of bowling around the wicket. Johnson and company could only switch to around the wicket when they bowled cutters, and spin like Sobers.

Akram has a very fast arm-swing, which is inevitable if one's action is mixed or open as the arc through which the arm can swing is restricted. As a result, Akram is capable of varying and changing the pace of each delivery, which is one of his great assets.

Fast medium with an extra fast delivery, the wily left-armer, who received guidance from the great Imran Khan in his early years, possesses a well-controlled bouncer and yorkers of two varieties, swinging either way.

He imparts a lot of back-spin. In fact, his length is controlled by the back-spin while he bowls according to a batsman's downswing. An incisive bowler, a creative mind.

He has this amazing ability to dig deep down his reserves and pull out an extraordinary performance, as he did in the 1992 World Cup, when Younis was forced out due to injury and it was believed that the burden of being the lone strike bowler might prove too much for Akram.

But the modern day Keith Miller took on the task manfully, bowled Pakistan into the final and went on to dominate the match against England emphatically enough to earn the Man of the Match award.

A commentary on Akram is invariably incomplete without a mention of Waqar Younis. The two forged one of the greatest ever pace combination, having taken over 500 Test wickets while bowling in tandem. Only Walsh and Ambrose have taken more together. Younis, a swing bowler, had a lethal yorker in his earlier days and bowled a very full length. He had an average bouncer - more height than venom. Akram and Younis are without doubt the best left-right pair ever. They mastered the science of reverse swing.

It was a matter of great joy that they achieved their personal milestones of 400 wickets and 300 wickets respectively in the same Test, which was also Sri Lanka's 100th Test match.

Akram is a more than useful lower middle-order batsman, with over 2500 Test runs inclusive of a double hundred. He couldn't do justice to his abilities as a batsman for the simple reason that fast medium bowling can be exacting business, especially if you are bowling in the sub-continent where conditions are not exactly condusive for quickies. Mind you, Akram has diabetes.

So, let us now salute a great cricketer, a performer par excellence and thank him for all those memorable moments.

SANJAY RAJAN

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