"It is illegal to score 100 runs in 5 overs" - Wasim Akram says he is lucky he is not playing cricket as a bowler right now
Wasim Akram has expressed his gratitude to God for allowing him to have a successful career as a bowler before the T20 era started. He feels that scoring 100 runs in five overs of any cricket game is illegal.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH)'s openers Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma destroyed Delhi Capitals' bowling lineup last Saturday at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. The duo added 125 runs in the six-over powerplay.
Appearing as a guest on Sportskeeda Cricket's Match Ki Baat show, Wasim Akram said that the batting skills have evolved so much now that the bowlers are just getting paid to get destroyed by them.
"Thank God, I am not playing cricket in this era. I mean they are scoring 270 in 20 overs. It's like 450 or 500 in a 50-over game. If it happened once, it was okay, but this has happened three-four times, which shows how strong the batting is," Akram said.
"It is illegal to score 100 runs in 5 overs. How can this happen? Even if you bowl full-tosses, it is tough to do it. For bowlers, it has become like take money and get destroyed here. I feel for the bowlers in this format," he added.
Akram further highlighted that the boundary sizes might have become shorter, but most of the grounds are still the same, where the previous era's cricket games were played. Hence, he credited the modern-era batters for their extraordinary success.
"Heinrich Klaasen is one of my favorite players in the world" - Wasim Akram
During the same show, Akram was asked if any franchise can match the firepower that Sunrisers Hyderabad have in their batting lineup for IPL 2024. He opined that none of the franchises can do it, but perhaps, an international side can match that.
"I don't think so (if any franchise can have such a destructive batting lineup like SRH). Maybe, at the international level, you may get one. However, in leagues, it is quite tough," Akram responded.
The legendary Pakistan pacer concluded by naming SRH's Heinrich Klaasen as one of his favorite white-ball players. He also spoke about the importance of Pat Cummins, the leader.
"Heinrich Klaasen is one of my favorite players in the world if you talk about white-ball cricket. His ability to hit sixes is incredible. Abdul Samad is doing a good job as a finisher. He is playing his role well. Also, Pat Cummins' presence as a captain has brought some calmness in the SRH dressing room," Wasim Akram concluded.
Wasim Akram also hilariously joked that he has to keep SRH in his predictions for the top-4 teams of IPL 2024 because his wife is from Australia.