Brian Lara: “Wasim Akram was maybe the most difficult bowler or the one I least wanted to come up against”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Legendary West Indies batsman Brian Lara has admitted that iconic Pakistan left-arm seamer Wasim Akram was “maybe the most difficult bowler” he faced or “the one I least wanted to come up against”.
Explaining what made Wasim so lethal, Lara talked about the 58-year-old’s “deceptive pace”, along with the fact that he could “swing the ball both ways”.
All in all, the West Indian great conceded that the Sultan of Swing is “the most skilful and intelligent bowler I have ever seen”.
Wasim represented Pakistan in 104 Tests and claimed 414 wickets at an average of 23.62.
He is also the second-highest wicket-taker in ODI history as he took 502 wickets in 356 matches at an average of 23.52.
“Wasim Akram was maybe the most difficult bowler or the one I least wanted to come up against. I think it was his deceptive pace, his ability to swing the ball both ways and his ability to use an action that may suggest an in-swinger but produce an
out-swinger and vice versa. I think he is the most skilful and intelligent bowler I have ever seen,” Lara told Wisden Cricket as quoted by PakPassion on X, formerly known as Twitter.