At 48, Akram surprises Atherton and Hussain with his swing

Wasim Akram

Manchester: The likes of Wasim Akram and Clive Lloyd have played for Lancashire, and the Old Trafford was their home ground during the county season. And as a tribute, they have installed a picture of Akram in full flow at the entrance of their cricket coaching centre.


Wasim Akram

Before the start of the fourth Test, Akram, 48, was back at the indoor facility where he bowled to former England captains Michael Atherton and Nasser Hussain.

And even at this age he surprised them with his prowess to swing the ball. What made his bowling even more special was the fact that he was showcasing his skills in completely enclosed surroundings. Yet he managed to extract swing.

Thereafter he explained the fine art of swing bowling to Hussain and Atherton. A little later West Indies great Michael Holding too joined the conversation and was highly impressed with the ease with which Akram made his point.

Akram then asked Holding whether the late Malcolm Marshall could bowl reverse-swing. The latter said that reverse swing is an old art and that Marshall too was an exponent. "That's why he would hide the ball with his left hand during his run-up, and batsmen would get curious," Holding said.