Pakistan's exile is disastrous for upcoming cricketers: Wasim Akram

Akram (right) was first noticed by Javed Miandad while bowling at the nets

Legendary left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram believes Pakistan not being able to play on their own soil is having a devastating effect on the players coming through the ranks. Captain Misbah-ul-Haq also spoke of the same issue earlier in the day after which Akram echoed the same sentiments as his captain. Akram had grabbed 414 wickets in 104 Test matches and had acquired the legendary status by bowling his side to victory in the 1992 World Cup.

However, he came into the limelight when Javed Miandad discovered him in the nets as a pacy bowler in November 1984. He later went on to make his debut at the age of 19. But such instances would hardly be possible now as there is a huge gap between Pakistan’s domestic set-up and the national team who have been playing their home games in United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the last few years.

"It's impossible now," Wasim told ESPNcricinfo. "My fourth first-class game was a Test match (against New Zealand at Auckland), and that won't happen now. Javed Miandad saw me, then Imran [Khan] met me when I went to play for Pakistan and took me under his wing, then Waqar (Younis) came along and we ruled the world for ten years. But that opportunity isn't there for youngsters anymore."

Despite the problems Pakistan cricket has had over the past few years they have stuck together as a team under Misbah’s leadership and have been virtually unbeaten at home, UAE. But Misbah believes such records are of no use if they fail to strike the right chords of the fans.

Akram to agreed with the fact saying,"There's been no cricket in Pakistan for seven or eight years, and cricket is struggling in Pakistan in general," he said. "Imagine when I was young, I used to go to Lahore's Gadaffi stadium. I watched England playing there … Bob Willis, Graham Gooch, Mike Gatting ... I watched India there in 1978 and 1982, when I was in class ten, with (Sunil) Gavaskar and Kapil Dev … Australia with Allan Border.

"They motivated me, but for Pakistan's budding cricketers, there's no cricket there. Everything is played in the UAE on bland, placid wickets and nobody is watching cricket there. One-day cricket gets a bit of support, and T20s over three hours, but for Test cricket it is mostly empty stadiums, so it has affected Pakistan cricket big-time."

The-50-year-old also said that he believes getting the Pakistan Super League (PSL) which had a successful debut in UAE in February this year into Pakistan would be a huge success. But then international stars have expressed their concerns on playing in the country.

"The PSL was a great success," said Wasim. "It was the second most watched event in Pakistan television history - 68% of the country watched it, and that is a lot of ratings.

"The idea is to gradually take the PSL to Pakistan - maybe the final, or the semi-final - and see what happens. But if the PSL happens in Pakistan, every game you will get 50,000, 80,000 watching from the ground."Things are better in Pakistan security-wise," he added. "I live there, and things are better. If teams decide to tour there, then cricket in Pakistan will evolve to a different level.