Wasim Akram: “I think he’s got the potential”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan fast bowling icon Wasim Akram thinks up-and-coming pace bowler Ali Raza has “got the potential”.
There is a lot of buzz around Raza at the minute as he is just 17 years old and can bowl at speeds of 146 kph. On top of that, he has established his reputation as a genuine wicket-taker.
This was evident during the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he picked up 12 wickets in nine matches for the Peshawar Zalmi at an average of 25.25 and an economy rate of 9.18.
With many people having predicted that Raza will make his international debut soon, Wasim acknowledged he can see what all the hype is about.
“I think he’s got the potential,” the Sultan of Swing said in a video posted by Khel Shel on X, formerly known as Twitter.
After PSL 10, Pakistan faced Bangladesh in a three-match T20I series and triumphed 3-0.
They then toured Bangladesh, but failed to come away with a win as they lost the T20I series 2-1.
Following this, the men in green travelled to the West Indies and began their campaign with a 2-1 win in the T20I series.
However, things went downhill from there as they ended up losing the ODI series 2-1.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem