Test cricket Akram made his
Test cricket debut for
Pakistan against
New Zealand in 1985, and in his second Test match, he claimed 10 wickets. A few weeks prior to his selection in the Pakistan team, he was an unknown club cricketer who had failed to make it even to his college team. He came to the trials at
Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore in Pakistan, but for the first two days he did not get a chance to bowl. On the third day, he got a chance; his performance convincing
Javed Miandad to insist upon his inclusion in the national team. Akram was hence given an opportunity to play for Pakistan, without any significant domestic experience. Akram's rise in
international cricket was rapid during the late 1980s. He was a part of the Pakistan team that toured the West Indies in 1988. However, a groin injury impeded his career in the late 1980s. Following two surgeries, he re-emerged in the 1990s as a fast bowler who focused more on swing and accurate bowling.
One Day International Akram started his ODI career against New Zealand in Pakistan in 1984 under the captaincy of
Zaheer Abbas. He rose to prominence by taking five wickets in his 3rd ODI against Australia in the 1985 Benson & Hedges World Championship. His wickets included those of
Kepler Wessels,
Dean Jones, and captain
Allan Border. Wasim Akram is currently the highest wicket taker for Pakistan in One Day International cricket
Early days In the 1984–85 Rothmans Four-Nations Cup and the 1985–86 Rothmans Sharjah Cup, Akram took five wickets with a run rate of less than 3.50. The 1985–1986
Austral-Asia Cup involved
Australia,
India,
New Zealand, Pakistan and
Sri Lanka, and was played in
Sharjah,
UAE. Akram, with the help of
Abdul Qadir, bowled out New Zealand's batting line-up for 64 in the second semi-final of the cup. Pakistan won that game with more than 27 overs to spare, obtaining one of the biggest wins in Pakistani history. In the final against India, he and
Imran Khan shared five wickets. Akram's wickets included
Dilip Vengsarkar and
Ravi Shastri. In the
1987 Cricket World Cup held for the 1st time in
South Asia, Akram struggled on Pakistani pitches; he managed only 7 wickets throughout, with an average of over 40 runs per wicket across all 7 matches. Akram played
West Indies, Sri Lanka and
England twice. All group matches were played in Pakistan. In the
1988–89 Benson and Hedges World Series, Akram managed figures of 4 for 25 against Australia.
Emergence Akram took his hundredth wicket at
Sharjah during the 1989–1990 Champions Trophy, the 2nd Match against West Indies. His 100th wicket was that of
Curtly Ambrose. In that match, he took a five-wicket haul for the second time in his career. In the same match, Akram took his first hat-trick against
West Indies. All three batsman were bowled out. On 4 May 1990 in Sharjah, Akram took his second ODI hat-trick against
Australia. All three batsmen were bowled this time as well. His best years in the late 1980s were from 1986 to 1989, during which time he took 100 wickets at 22.71 runs per wicket, and his economy rate was less than 3.9 runs per over, with a total of four 4-wicket hauls. His first two hauls against
Sri Lanka and
Bangladesh came in Sri Lanka in 1986. Up until December 1991, Akram took 143 wickets in 107 matches, with an average of almost 24 and an economy rate of 3.84.
World's best Akram was a significant figure in the
1992 Cricket World Cup held in
Australia and
New Zealand when Pakistan won the tournament. In the final, against
England, his innings of 33 runs off 19 balls pushed Pakistan to a score of 249 runs for 6 wickets. Akram then took the wicket of
Ian Botham early on during the English batting innings; and, when brought back into the bowling attack later on, with the ball reverse swinging, he produced a spell of bowling which led to
Allan Lamb and
Chris Lewis being bowled in successive deliveries in one over. His performances earned him the
Man of the Match award for the final. In 1993, Akram took two consecutive 4-wicket hauls against Sri Lanka in Sharjah, in which 7 out of 8 wickets were either LBW or bowled. In the 1992–1993 Total International Series in South Africa (involving Pakistan, West Indies and South Africa), he took 5 wickets against South Africa and got his 200th wicket in his 143rd match. Akram took 46 wickets in calendar year 1993, his best year ever in ODIs. His average was less than 19, with an economy rate of less than 3.8 runs per over. He took six 4-wicket hauls in 1993, the most by him in any year. Between 1994 and 1996, he took 84 wickets in 39 matches. However, he reconsidered his decision on the insistence of chairman of the
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB),
Khalid Mahmood.
Late career In 1999, he led Pakistan to the finals of the World Cup where they capitulated and were defeated by Australia in the final by eight wickets with almost 30 overs to spare. This was the start of the match-fixing controversies, as critics believed Akram had set up the match for Australia. However, none of the allegations could be proven. He was Pakistan's best bowler in the
2003 Cricket World Cup, taking 12 wickets in 6 matches. However, Pakistan failed to reach the super six of the tournament, and Akram was one of the eight players to be sacked by the PCB as a result. == Records ==