“Couldn’t walk for 3 days, asked myself, ‘kya kar raha hain is umar mein?’” - Wasim Akram revisits funny retirement story
Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has revealed intriguing details about how he arrived at the decision to retire from all forms of cricket.
The fast bowling legend announced his international retirement in May 2003 as he was disappointed after being dropped. He subsequently signed up with Hampshire to prove a point by playing county cricket. But the experiment was short-lived as his body could not take the rigors of four-day games.
The 57-year-old recalled that he couldn’t walk for three days after being asked to bowl 28 overs in one day and asked himself what he was doing.
In an interaction with Sportskeeda, Akram opened up on how his stint with Hampshire made it clear to him that his playing days were over.
“I retired [from international cricket] because I was fed up at being dropped from the team. The chairman at that time did not like me." Akram added, "Two years before my international retirement, I was asked to hang up my boots from Test cricket. I played ODIs for two years. Then, we came back from the 2003 World Cup. I was 37 and was bowling okay. I could have played on for another year, but I am glad I left," he narrated.
“No hard feeling, but the story is funny. I signed up with Hampshire because at the back of my mind, I wanted to take revenge [for being dropped] and show that I still had it. But, playing county cricket at 37... I had quit Tests two years back. In the first four-day game, they [Hampshire] got me to bowl 28 overs on Day 1. I couldn’t walk for three days," Akram added.
On how he eventually managed to convince himself of giving up cricket, the Pakistan great stated:
“Every morning, while brushing, I used to look at the mirror and asked myself, ‘kya kar raha hain is umar mein?’ (What are you doing at this age?) Why are you playing first-class matches? The passion was gone and I was finding it difficult to go to the ground. I called up my wife and my kids from the same room and told them, ‘look, I am retiring’. "
Regarded as one of the finest fast bowlers ever, Akram played 104 Tests and 356 ODIs, claiming 414 and 502 wickets, respectively. He was also a handy batter, who notched up three Test hundreds, including a best of 257*.
“I suppose the passion is gone for him” - Akram on Ambati Rayudu’s retirement
During the discussion on Sportskeeda, Akram also shared his thoughts on Chennai Super Kings (CSK) batter Ambati Rayudu’s retirement. The Pakistan legend opined that the batter must have lost the passion for the game.
“It’s a big deal to even decide to retire with clarity. As a player, he has made a lot of money. He played for two teams, [won] six IPL trophies and has played over 200 matches in the IPL in which he has scored over 4000 runs. He must have spoken to his family, friends, his captain [MS] Dhoni," Akram said.
“I suppose the passion is gone for him. His role has been specific - to go out and hit and build momentum. He showed his skills [in the IPL final], smashing a quick 20 from 12 balls [19 off 8],” he added.
Rayudu played 204 IPL games, scoring 4348 runs at an average of 28.23 and a strike rate of 127.54, with one hundred and 22 fifties to his name.