Greatest test XI of the modern era

#8 Wasim Akram

Akram was one of the greatest fast bowlers in the modern era

Without a shred of doubt, Wasim Akram is the greatest left-arm pacer in the entire history of cricket. Nicknamed ‘the Sultan of the Swing’ for his extraordinary ability to swing the ball prodigiously both ways, Akram posed a constant and a formidable threat to the batsmen.

With his large arsenal of tricks, Akram struck fear in the hearts of batsmen and delivered many magical performances.

Akram brought even the best of the batsmen to their knees with his unplayable swinging yorkers that travelled at a great pace. His bouncers often caught the batsmen unawares sending them to their doom.

His record of 414 wickets in 104 matches is breathtaking. In a nutshell, Akram was a complete fast bowler.

In the lower order, he was a useful batsman with an average of 22 and scored three hundreds, including a mammoth knock of 257 not out against Zimbabwe. Considering his caliber with the willow, one would probably be left wondering as to why Akram did not average higher with the bat.

With the ball, Akram’s sorcery was legendary. With the willow, he could be devastating. The presence of a left arm bowler also lends variety to the lineup and it is impossible to keep a bowler of Akram’s stature out of the team.