[Watch] Waqar Younis reveals a funny incident as he recalls Wasim Akram's famous knock of 257
Former Pakistan skipper Waqar Younis shared an interesting story on the anniversary of Wasim Akram's unbeaten 257 against Zimbabwe at the Sheikhpura Stadium in 1996. He smashed a whopping 22 fours and 12 sixes during his historic knock, which to date remains the highest score by a No. 8 batter in Test cricket.
During a talk show titled "Pavilion," Waqar Younis, who was in the company of former captains Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul Haq, and Shoaib Malik, shed light on what transpired when he came out to the crease after the wicket of Saqlain Mushtaq. The duo of Akram and Saqlain had stitched together a mammoth 313-run partnership to set up a victory for Pakistan.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Waqar shared some glimpses of the show with the caption,
"Special knock from Wasim Akram of 257* against Zimbabwe but one must listen to this story,"
Special knock from @wasimakramlive of 257* against Zimbabwe but one must listen to this story #TrueStory #Hilarious twitter.com/asportstvpk/st…
Waqar had to wait in his pads for a whole day and a few hours before getting a chance to bat. Seeing the lower-order bat with ease, he came out with a positive frame of mind and was confident of scoring some important runs for his team.
On Waqar's arrival, Akram warned him to be careful against inswinging deliveries. However, Waqar seemed very confident and shrugged off the advice given by his captain. He was cleaned up on the first ball by Guy Whittall with an inswinging delivery which came back sharply and breached Waqar’s defense.
“I was padded for about day and a half. I was sick of it. I was very tired and kept the pads aside as I thought they won’t get out. Then suddenly Saqlain was dismissed and I had to pad up quickly and as I came out to the crease, Wasim bhai said, be a careful as the first one will tail in at pace.
I said what? You have scored 250, Saqlain who can’t bat scored 80, then what are you talking about? I was showing a bit of attitude but Wasim bhai kept asking me to be careful against the inswinging delivery. Then I said, okay I no problem," Waqar said.
Waqar further added,
"I came out to the crease, took my guard. Guy Whittall was the bowler and he was charged up after getting the wicket of Saqlain. I didn’t take Wasim bhai’s words seriously.
The first ball pitched on a length and I played it very casually. That zooped in sharply and my middle stumps went for a cartwheel. I was so embarrassed that I didn’t even look towards Wasim bhai. The morale of the story is always listen to your seniors.”
A match to remember for Wasim Akram
Despite a sensational knock from Akram, Pakistan couldn’t quite enforce a result as the match ended in a draw. On the back of centuries from Grant Flower and Paul Strang, Zimbabwe posted a competitive 375 on the board after batting first.
Pakistan looked like conceding a significant lead after being reduced to 237/7. However, what transpired in the next 8-9 hours was nothing short of phenomenal. Wasim Akram enthralled the Sheikhpura crowd with some electrifying strokeplay. He smashed 12 monstrous sixes during his epic knock.
Wasim Akram kept dancing down the track and clearing the fence with the utmost ease. He remained unbeaten on 257 off 363 deliveries to take Pakistan to 553. The match eventually ended in a draw, with Zimbabwe finishing their 2nd innings on 241/7.