"Matthew Hayden smashed him into the other ground" - Wasim Akram shares hilarious story of Waqarr Younis [SK Match ki Baat Exclusive]
Former Pakistan speedsters Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis were not only a fearsome bowling partnership for the opposition but also made some great memories on the field. These memories were sometimes funny and the duo looked back fondly on their early days.
Akram recalled one such memory in a game against Australia that was being played in one of the small grounds in Kenya. Matthew Hayden had been batting well beyond a hundred and it was the final over of the innings bowled by Waqar Younis.
Speaking exclusively to Sportskeeda on SK Match ki Baat, Wasim Akram shed light on how he trolled Waqar Younis after the latter was hit for a massive six. He said:
"There was a tall partition and adjacent to that there was another ground. He asked me, 'Wasim Bhai what would happen if I bowl a slower delivery?' I said, 'You see that partition at mid-wicket? The ball will go beyond that into the other ground.'
"Waqar was disheartened as I didn't give him confidence. He bowled an off-break and Matthew Hayden smashed him into the other ground (laughs). I then told him to climb the partition and bring the ball (laughs)."
Wasim Akram also revealed that Waqar Younis was a funny character off the field and also had a great sense of humor.
Wasim Akram on how good Waqar Younis was
Wasim Akram claimed that Waqar Younis had an incredible yorker and it was so accurate that he could almost predict and get the batters out. He also rubbished the talk about the bowlers these days having a lot of workload, shedding light on the amount of cricket both him and Waqar played.
On this, Akram stated:
"He (Waqar) was quick. His yorkers were the best. He used to bowl yorkers almost at will and used to get wickets with it in his prime. The bowlers of today's day and age use the word 'workload' a lot. We didn't know what workload was. Waqar played county for eight years. His run-up was around 30 metres. He used to sprit from the sightscreen to bowl every delivery."
Wasim Akram accepted that he and Waqar Younis did have their difference in opinions. However, he claimed that they had a positive rivalry to outdo each other in performances and that worked well for Pakistan cricket.