Not getting a five-for at Lord's is a regret says Wasim Akram

Legendary Pakistan speedster Wasim Akram has said he regrets not having grabbed a five-wicket haul at the iconic Lord’s stadium. Anyone who gets a hundred or takes a five-for get their name etched on the famous Honours Board at Lord's which hang in the historic Long Room and Akram sadly does not feature in it.

He played four Test matches at Lord's during his long cricketing career, which included a haul of 4/66 against England in 1992, but was unable to pick five wickets in an innings.But he remembers fondly his batting exploits in the game, where he took his side to victory.

Chasing a low total of 138 runs, Pakistan were in tatters at 95/8 but then Akram (45 not out) and Waqar Younis got their team over the line."That was such a historic Test match," Akram told lords.org."I scored 257 in Test cricket (against Zimbabwe in 1996), but that definitely was one of my best batting moments. Hitting the winning runs, at Lord's, against England. The ultimate thing. The only regret I have as a bowler is I've got 25 five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, not at Lord's."

The now 50-year-old is just one of the several greats who are missing from the Honours Boards. Even the likes of the great Sachin Tendulkar, Ricky Ponting, Brian Lara, Shane Warne and Muthiah Muralidaran do not make it to the list.

The second time Akram won a game in Lord’s was in 1996 when he famously led his side to a Test victory. Pakistan won the match by 164 runs courtesy of a ton from Inzamam-ul-Haq and five second-innings wickets from leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed whose names are etched on the Honours board.

"Winning in England is a massive deal but winning at Lord's is even bigger," Akram said. "As a captain it was one of my achievements that I won at Lord's against England. I think this is the ultimate ground for any cricketer to play here or even witness a cricket match here. It's the best in the world."

Akram has claimed 12 wickets and scored 144 runs in the four Test matches at the venue. He has also grabbed four wickets and 82 runs from four ODIs. Even though he does not make it to the Lord’s board he has won laurels across the world, which includes the 50-over World Cup in 1992 when he had just come into the side as a youngster.