- Commissioner’s statement on Ventura, Marte
- Ronnie O’Sullivan: Masters champion ‘felt so vulnerable’ in final
- Arron Fletcher Wins 2017 WSOP International Circuit Marrakech Main Event ($140,224)
- Smith challenges Warner to go big in India
- Moncada No. 1 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Braves land 2 on MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- Kingery makes MLB Pipeline’s Top 10 2B Prospects list
- New Zealand wrap up 2-0 after Bangladesh implosion
- Mathews, Pradeep, Gunathilaka to return to Sri Lanka
- Elliott hopes for rain for Poli
Pakistan exile is devastating for next generation – Wasim Akram
- Updated: August 9, 2016
Wasim Akram, Pakistan’s legendary left-arm fast bowler, has echoed the concerns voiced by Misbah-ul-Haq on the eve of the Edgbaston Test, that the continuing exile of Pakistan’s cricketers from their homeland is having a devastating effect on the next generation of players coming through the ranks.
Wasim, who claimed 414 wickets in 104 Tests, cemented his legendary status by bowling Pakistan to victory in the 1992 World Cup. However, his big break came after being discovered by Javed Miandad as a raw and rapid net bowler in November 1984, and was propelled into the national team at the age of 19, within weeks of claiming 7 for 50 on his first-class debut against the touring New Zealanders.
Such a scenario would be virtually unthinkable now, he says, because of the disconnect that has been created between Pakistan’s domestic set-up and the national team, who have been forced, due to security concerns, to play their home matches in the United Arab Emirates for the best part of a decade.
“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.”
Under Misbah’s leadership, Pakistan have risen above their off-field issues to become one of the leading Test teams in the world and they are …
continue reading in source www.espncricinfo.com
