Mohammed Shami on Wasim Akram: “Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and started telling me things about bowling. He read me very quickly, he realised what I am all about and I learnt a lot from him”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
India pace bowler Mohammed Shami has admitted that he “learnt a lot” from legendary Pakistan left-arm seamer Wasim Akram while playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Akram was previously the bowling coach of the Knight Riders and Shami revealed that he was initially hesitant about talking to the 53-year-old.
Ultimately, it was Akram who broke the ice and spoke to Shami before giving him tips and advice about his bowling.
“When I came to KKR, I realised the skill and value associated with cricket. I watched Wasim Akram all my life on television, but with KKR, I had the chance to learn from him,” Shami said while speaking to India batsman Manoj Tiwary during an Instagram live session as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
“During the initial days, I was not even able to talk to him. Wasim Bhai came up to me then, and he initiated the conversation with me and started telling me things about bowling. He read me very quickly, he realised what I am all about and I learnt a lot from him.
“If you have someone that experienced close to you, then you should not shy away and try to learn as many things as possible.”
Shami added that he used to enjoy watching Akram bowl when India and Pakistan faced each other back in the day.
“When we were growing up, we used to witness that India and Pakistan used to be the most intense matches,” he said. “So when it came to bowling, I used to look at Zaheer Khan. When India and Pakistan would play against each other, I used to like Wasim Akram as well. I followed both despite them being left-arm pacers.”
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