When there was no wicket, Wasim Akram used to lose courage, another name for fear, those 3 bloody balls of ‘Sultan of Terror’

New Delhi. Bowlers are often known for taking wickets on the cricket field, but in history there have been some bowlers who stopped not the movement of batsmen’s legs but their heartbeats. Pakistan’s great fast bowler Wasim Akram comes at the top of this list. To simply call him the ‘Sultan of Swing’ would be underestimating his abilities. He was actually the ‘Sultan of Terror’.

When Wasim Akram started running with his short and magical run-up, the batsman standing at the crease was not thinking about scoring runs, but about returning to his safe home. It was said about Wasim Akram that whenever bowlers took wickets, Akram used to break the nerves. Testifies of the fear that forced the world’s greatest batsmen to kneel in the 80s and 90s.

MCG 1989: When the innings was declared for safety, not for runs.

If we turn the pages of cricket history, an incident happened at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in the year 1989 which surprised Test cricket. The Australian team was batting against Pakistan. Captain Imran Khan handed the ball to the young and very aggressive Wasim Akram. Australian batsman Terry Alderman was in front. Akram bowled a deadly short pitch ball which went straight and hit the alderman’s helmet. That blow was so terrible that Australian captain Allan Border decided to declare the innings immediately without taking any further loss. This announcement was not for strategy or runs, it was a forced decision taken to save the lives and safety of its players.

Akram’s face without helmet, biggest mistake of his career

Former New Zealand opener Mark Richardson faced many bowlers in his career, but facing Wasim Akram without a helmet became the scariest experience of his life. Akram’s ball coming at lightning speed passed Richardson’s head by just a few inches. That one moment shook Richardson to the core. He realized on the field itself that coming close to death does not happen very often. After that match, he never dared to face Akram without a helmet.

Alan Lamb’s hospital journey

Mark Richardson was lucky to miss the ball by inches, but England’s legendary batsman Alan Lamb was not so lucky. A ‘rocket’ ball from Akram’s hand hit Lamb’s head directly. The blow was so precise and painful that Lamb had to leave the field and his next stop was straight to the emergency ward of the hospital. Wasim Akram, a unique mixture of fear and art, was not just a merchant of speed, he had the art of swing which seemed like magic, but his biggest strength was to play with the mind of the batsman. He not only scattered the wickets with his balls but also destroyed the confidence of the batsmen. This is the reason that even today, when there is talk of speed, fear and bravery in cricket, Wasim Akram’s name is taken first with respect.