How great was Wasim Akram ?Best pace bowler of all time?

[Harsh Thakor]

Without doubt Wasim Akram was the ultimate magician amongst genuine pace bowlers taking bowling wizardry to a height unequalled.He simply took bowling art or craft to regions of the divine.There were bowlers who had quicker speed,more accurate,posessed more control ,more explosive,were more classically correct or more determined or statistically better  but none who equalled the creativity or prowess of Wasim.He was simply the equivalent of a Beethoven or Rembrandt to the game.I can't conceive a better ball being bowled than the ball moving in and out to Rahul Dravid at Madras in 1999, Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in 1992 or Robert Croft in 1992.In terms of pure artistry I have not seen bowling surpass Wasim's 11-160 at Melbourne in 1989-90  which blended every aspect of fast boliwng skill ,be ir pace,movement,or accuracy.I have never seen a bowler who could bowl so many types of deliveries in a single over reminding you of  a continuous change in plot of every chapter of a novel.No paceman ever was better exponent of reverse swing or a swinging yorker.In a total package he was perfection personified more than any pace bowler b;ending all the attributes,be it speed control movement or variations.Few pacemen bowled the slower ball more deceptively or camouflaged which direction the ball would move.Wasim simply took bowling bio-mechanics to meta physical regions.

 

To me Wasim's statistical figures did not do justice to the phenomenal talent he posessed.His best figures of 7-119 were not the equal of the best bowling figures of Curtly Ambrose ,Richard Hadlee,Malcolm Marshall or Imran Khan.Infact Imran took 8 wickets on 2 occasions and 7 on on 3.Ambrose,Hadlee ,Mcgrath and Marshall had a better bowling average compared to Wasim Marshall,Alan Donald,Waqar Younus and Mcgrath had a better strike rate.Hadlee had many more 5 and 1o wicket hauls.Ambrose and Mcgrath also had a better record in matches won,with more match-wining spells.Still I can never forget how Wasim almost singlehandedly won a test at Antigua in 2000 when dubious umpiring decisions possibly cost his team a famous victory.On his cay he could cut the best of batting line ups into slices ,literally ripping the flseh of them.At the Oval in 1992 he looked more lethal than any pacemen ever blending speed,bounce and movement to put his opponents in no mans land,as though a spell had been cast over them.

 

However statistics do not always give the correct picture.Wasim was more outstanding than any bowling great in the last 3 decades on the flat sub continent pitches ,with his mastery of reverse swing.The greatest batsmen of our time found the bowling of Wasim Akram the most daunting proposition like Viv Richards,Brian Lara,Jacques Kallis,Kumar Sangakaara and VVS Laxman. Alan Donald rated him the most complete of all pace bowlers while Alec Stewart ranked him 2nd best to Marshall.Wasim was also hardly supported in the field by his team like Mcgrath or Lillee were.Although a part of a most lethal bowling attack Wasim was often let down by his batsmen,unlike Glen Mcgrath who got total support.Hadlee 's figures were comparitively blessed bowling for a weaker pace attack while although supported Waqar younus often shred the spoils of the best opponents.To me even if not having as good a strike rate as Waqar it was Wasim who posed the greater danger to the batsmen ,who would set a game up more.Wasim would simply perplex the best of batsmen more than anyone even if others claimed their scalps more.Curtly Ambrose ,Hadlee or Imran may have ripped through line ups more but to me it was the craft of Wasim which would precipitate a batting collapse more than anyone,even if he did not claim all the scalps.Few pace bowlers were the equal of Wasim at his helm against West Indies  and Sri Lanka in 1990 when he captured 31 wickets in 4 tests.

 

In his peak from 1990-98 Wasim was statistically the best fast bowler in terms of average.He overshadowed partner Waqar against better opposition or  ,Ambrose,Donald and Walsh on flat tracks .Wasim is the only bowler to take four wicket s in five deliveries twice,It is noteworthy that Wasim bowled in an era of neutral umpires in Pakistan unlike Imran's .He also bowled when restrictions were introduced to bouncers and protective headgear came into use.414 wickets at 23.62 is oustanding with 25 5 wicket hauls and strike rate of 53.6.From 1990-89 his strike rate was 46.7 and average around 21 .In ODI's he had 502 scalps which was remarkable.Akram had a greater percentage of wickets in wins than Hadlee or Imran but a worse average  but was overshadowed in that respect by Marshall and Ambrose.

It is noteworthy that Wasim did not take Pakistan to the top of the tree like Imran whether in West Indies in 1993 or as a skipper in 1999.he also did not bowl as many great spells as Denis Lillee or Curtly Ambrose.

 

 

 

Significant that Wasim Akram has been chosen in the Alltime Xi of cricinfo and 53 cricketers have selected Wasim in their all -time test XI's.In the rankings of 100 cricketers  of Geoff Armstrong  amongst purely specialist fast bowlers he ranks only behind Marshall and Lillee and ahead of greats like Mcgrath,Ambrose and Lindwall.(Counting Imran and Hadlee as all-rounders)David Gower ranks Wasim behind only Marshall,Lillee,Roberts amongst specialist pacemen.As a cricketer overall Gower ranks Wasim at 27th place ahaed of even Ponting,Border ,Chappell,Mcgrath etc which is remarkable.

To me overall in test and ODI cricket combined  he is just behind Marshall .In pure test cricket Hadlee and Mcgrath or even Lillee may arguably  edge Wasim and he may  be 5th best.On pure figures overall he may rank 2nd behind Mcgrath overall and in test cricket just behind Marshall,Mcgrath,Hadlee,Ambrose Lillee,Imran,Trueman and Steyn .Wasim was not as hostile as Lillee or Marshall or as accurate as Mcgrath,Hadlee and Ambrose but for pure skill surpassed al of them.Imran may have been marginally quicker,but was not as versatile. .I place Marshall and Lillee ahead because they displayed more consistency,were more impactful and statistically better.On a broken wicket or helpful conditions Ambrose was the ultimate champion..To me Hadlee was the best on a green top but not so effective on flat batting strips just like Ambrose.Mcgrath's bowling intelligence overcame his lack of speed on flat pancakes but still did not have Wasim's ingenuity.Imran had better figures in his peak but otherwise it was Wasim who was the more consistent performer,in my view.Dale Steyn did not equal Wasim's skill or versatility and his outstanding  strike rate benefited from his era where batsmen took more risks.

 

The question is whether to completely rely on stats or depend as much on ability or skill.In pure skill he was the equal of a Tendulkar or Lara while in term sof record he was the equal of a Greg Chappell or Ricky Ponting.To me in the history of the game apart from Gary Sobers no cricketer ever was endowed with as much creative genius,with the exception of Rohan Kanhai and Brian Lara.Wasim would always be in my all-time test XI.As a cricketer overall Wasim would make it in the top 15 of all time just  nosed by Kallis and Lara.

 

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose	57	247	20.50	52.8	17/ 3
Waqar Younis	46	232	21.23	40.1	19/ 4
Allan Donald	36	171	23.27	48.8	9/ 2
Glenn McGrath	36	164	23.42	53.0	9/ 0
Shane Warne	62	289	24.08	62.9	12/ 3

 

 

Best bowling averages in Test wins (Qual: 200 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Muttiah Muralitharan	53	430	16.03	42.6	40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall	43	254	16.78	38.1	17/ 4
Curtly Ambrose	44	229	16.86	44.4	13/ 3
Waqar Younis	39	222	18.20	35.0	14/ 4
Dennis Lillee	31	203	18.27	39.0	17/ 6
Shaun Pollock	49	223	18.30	47.5	9/ 1
Wasim Akram	41	211	18.48	42.3	13/ 2

Edited February 6, 2020 by Harsh Thakor

[Norman]

Here comes my insomnia therapist...

[Suhaan]

[Ankit_sharma03]

13 minutes ago, Harsh Thakor said:

 

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose	57	247	20.50	52.8	17/ 3
Waqar Younis	46	232	21.23	40.1	19/ 4
Allan Donald	36	171	23.27	48.8	9/ 2
Glenn McGrath	36	164	23.42	53.0	9/ 0
Shane Warne	62	289	24.08	62.9	12/ 3

 

 

 

Agar ye na hota to kya hota 

 

[rock777]

16 minutes ago, Harsh Thakor said:

Without doubt Wasim Akram was the ultimate magician amongst genuine pace bowlers taking bowling wizardry to a height unequalled.He simply took bowling art or craft to regions of the divine.There were bowlers who had quicker speed,more accurate,posessed more control ,more explosive,were more classically correct or more determined or statistically better  but none who equalled the creativity or prowess of Wasim.He was simply the equivalent of a Beethoven or Rembrandt to the game.I can't conceive a better ball being bowled than the ball moving in and out to Rahul Dravid at Madras in 1999, Alan Lamb and Chris Lewis in 1992 or Robert Croft in 1992.In terms of pure artistry I have not seen bowling surpass Wasim's 11-160 at Melbourne in 1989-90  which blended every aspect of fast boliwng skill ,be ir pace,movement,or accuracy.I have never seen a bowler who could bowl so many types of deliveries in a single over reminding you of  a continuous change in plot of every chapter of a novel.No paceman ever was better exponent of reverse swing or a swinging yorker.In a total package he was perfection personified more than any pace bowler b;ending all the attributes,be it speed control movement or variations.Few pacemen bowled the slower ball more deceptively or camouflaged which direction the ball would move.Wasim simply took bowling bio-mechanics to meta physical regions.

 

To me Wasim's statistical figures did not do justice to the phenomenal talent he posessed.His best figures of 7-119 were not the equal of the best bowling figures of Curtly Ambrose ,Richard Hadlee,Malcolm Marshall or Imran Khan.Infact Imran took 8 wickets on 2 occasions and 7 on on 3.Ambrose,Hadlee ,Mcgrath and Marshall had a better bowling average compared to Wasim Marshall,Alan Donald,Waqar Younus and Mcgrath had a better strike rate.Hadlee had many more 5 and 1o wicket hauls.Ambrose and Mcgrath also had a better record in matches won,with more match-wining spells.Still I can never forget how Wasim almost singlehandedly won a test at Antigua in 2000 when dubious umpiring decisions possibly cost his team a famous victory.On his cay he could cut the best of batting line ups into slices ,literally ripping the flseh of them.At the Oval in 1992 he looked more lethal than any pacemen ever blending speed,bounce and movement to put his opponents in no mans land,as though a spell had been cast over them.

 

However statistics do not always give the correct picture.Wasim was more outstanding than any bowling great in the last 3 decades on the flat sub continent pitches ,with his mastery of reverse swing.The greatest batsmen of our time found the bowling of Wasim Akram the most daunting proposition like Viv Richards,Brian Lara,Jacques Kallis,Kumar Sangakaara and VVS Laxman. Alan Donald rated him the most complete of all pace bowlers while Alec Stewart ranked him 2nd best to Marshall.Wasim was also hardly supported in the field by his team like Mcgrath or Lillee were.Although a part of a most lethal bowling attack Wasim was often let down by his batsmen,unlike Glen Mcgrath who got total support.Hadlee 's figures were comparitively blessed bowling for a weaker pace attack while although supported Waqar younus often shred the spoils of the best opponents.To me even if not having as good a strike rate as Waqar it was Wasim who posed the greater danger to the batsmen ,who would set a game up more.Wasim would simply perplex the best of batsmen more than anyone even if others claimed their scalps more.Curtly Ambrose ,Hadlee or Imran may have ripped through line ups more but to me it was the craft of Wasim which would precipitate a batting collapse more than anyone,even if he did not claim all the scalps.Few pace bowlers were the equal of Wasim at his helm against West Indies  and Sri Lanka in 1990 when he captured 31 wickets in 4 tests.

 

In his peak from 1990-98 Wasim was statistically the best fast bowler in terms of average.He overshadowed partner Waqar against better opposition or  ,Ambrose,Donald and Walsh on flat tracks .Wasim is the only bowler to take four wicket s in five deliveries twice,It is noteworthy that Wasim bowled in an era of neutral umpires in Pakistan unlike Imran's .He also bowled when restrictions were introduced to bouncers and protective headgear came into use.414 wickets at 23.62 is oustanding with 25 5 wicket hauls and strike rate of 53.6.From 1990-89 his strike rate was 46.7 and average around 21 .In ODI's he had 502 scalps which was remarkable.Akram had a greater percentage of wickets in wins than Hadlee or Imran but a worse average  but was overshadowed in that respect by Marshall and Ambrose.

It is noteworthy that Wasim did not take Pakistan to the top of the tree like Imran whether in West Indies in 1993 or as a skipper in 1999.he also did not bowl as many great spells as Denis Lillee or Curtly Ambrose.

 

 

 

Significant that Wasim Akram has been chosen in the Alltime Xi of cricinfo and 53 cricketers have selected Wasim in their all -time test XI's.In the rankings of 100 cricketers  of Geoff Armstrong  amongst purely specialist fast bowlers he ranks only behind Marshall and Lillee and ahead of greats like Mcgrath,Ambrose and Lindwall.(Counting Imran and Hadlee as all-rounders)David Gower ranks Wasim behind only Marshall,Lillee,Roberts amongst specialist pacemen.As a cricketer overall Gower ranks Wasim at 27th place ahaed of even Ponting,Border ,Chappell,Mcgrath etc which is remarkable.

To me overall in test and ODI cricket combined  he is just behind Marshall and Lillee.In pure test cricket Hadlee and Mcgrath may arguably edge Wasim and he would be 5th best.On pure figures overall he may rank 2nd behind Mcgrath overall and in test cricket just behind Marshall,Mcgrath,Hadlee,Ambrose Lillee,Trueman and Steyn in that order .Wasim was not as hostile as Lillee or Marshall or as accurate as Mcgrath,Hadlee and Ambrose but for pure skill surpassed al of them.Imran may have been marginally quicker,but was not as versatile. .I place Marshall and Lillee ahead because they displayed more consistency,were more impactful and statistically better.On a broken wicket or helpful conditions Ambrose was the ultimate champion..To me Hadlee was the best on a green top but not so effective on flat batting strips just like Ambrose.Mcgrath's bowling intelligence overcame his lack of speed on flat pancakes but still did not have Wasim's ingenuity.Imran had better figures in his peak but otherwise it was Wasim who was the more consistent performer,in my view.Dale Steyn did not equal Wasim's skill or versatility and his outstanding  strike rate benefited from his era where batsmen took more risks.

 

The question is whether to completely rely on stats or depend as much on ability or skill.In pure skill he was the equal of a Tendulkar or Lara while in term sof record he was the equal of a Greg Chappell or Ricky Ponting.To me in the history of the game apart from Gary Sobers no cricketer ever was endowed with as much creative genius,with the exception of Rohan Kanhai and Brian Lara.Wasim would always be in my all-time test XI.As a cricketer overall Wasim would make it in the top 15 of all time just  nosed by Kallis and Lara.

 

Best Test bowlers between Jan 1990 and Dec 1997 (Qual: 150 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Wasim Akram	48	240	20.05	46.4	16/ 3
Curtly Ambrose	57	247	20.50	52.8	17/ 3
Waqar Younis	46	232	21.23	40.1	19/ 4
Allan Donald	36	171	23.27	48.8	9/ 2
Glenn McGrath	36	164	23.42	53.0	9/ 0
Shane Warne	62	289	24.08	62.9	12/ 3

 

 

Best bowling averages in Test wins (Qual: 200 wickets)

Bowler	Tests	Wickets	Average	Strike rate	5WI/ 10WM
Muttiah Muralitharan	53	430	16.03	42.6	40/ 18
Malcolm Marshall	43	254	16.78	38.1	17/ 4
Curtly Ambrose	44	229	16.86	44.4	13/ 3
Waqar Younis	39	222	18.20	35.0	14/ 4
Dennis Lillee	31	203	18.27	39.0	17/ 6
Shaun Pollock	49	223	18.30	47.5	9/ 1
Wasim Akram	41	211	18.48	42.3	13/ 2

Great work sir you are most sensible poster on this forum for me wasim is  best left arm fast bowler of all time and in overall just behind malcom marshal 

[Global.Baba]

He is an ATG but not even the top 5 of all time, may be top 10.

[Global.Baba]

Just now, rock777 said:

Great work sir you are most sensible poster on this forum for me wasim is  best left arm fast bowler of all time and in overall just behind malcom marshal 

The list isn't that long. It is like coming 2nd in a race of 3.

[rock777]

Just now, Global.Baba said:

The list isn't that long. It is like coming 2nd in a race of 3.

Mitchel johnson mitchel stark trent boult are some renowned left armers and there was an austrailian allrounder i think allen keith i dont remember was excellent

 

[raki05]

Mmmmh ...Sir Aggy is better bowler than him. He won a test match in aus . Akram 

[Straight Drive]

Does not makes the top 10 I watched

 

 

Marshall

Holding

Garner

Roberts

Croft

Ambrose

Walsh

Thomson

Lillee

McGrath

Steyn

 

 

He would be 12th

 

Edited February 6, 2020 by Straight Drive

[Vilander]

Of the folks i watched live when i could understand the game, he is in top 10.

 

top of my mind.

 

Ambrose

Walsh

Mgrath

Steyn

Wasim ( Did he benefit from the ball tampering duo in the other side)

Waqar ( Jury out on bottle cap benefit he was found guilty though so lets keep him out of the list)

Gillespie

Anderson

Bond

Lee

Donald

 

 

 

Now Bumrah is there with this crowd in terms of skill and accuracy we will see if he ends there with his career or withers away.

 

[rock777]

15 minutes ago, raki05 said:

Mmmmh ...Sir Aggy is better bowler than him. He won a test match in aus . Akram 

Using your logic  grant elliot  is better than rohit sharma

[Global.Baba]

19 minutes ago, Straight Drive said:

Does not makes the top 10 I watched

 

 

Marshall

Holding

Garner

Roberts

Croft

Ambrose

Walsh

Thomson

Lillee

McGrath

Steyn

 

 

He would be 12th

 

 Hadlee is 12th? I would say 13 maybe 

[Norman]

So many biased comments on this thread.

 

 

Come on guys. We have to accept the reality even if it's against our emotions. No matter how much we deny, it's clear that Wasim Akram is still the 5th best left arm Asian pacer ever after Zaheer, Nehra, Unadkat and khaleel. Is it that hard to accept ? 

[SUMO]

He is the Only ATG left arm pacer ( davidson, johnson, starc, zaheer, vaas, boult all fell short of ATG status)
Any captain would like to have him in the 11. So he is in Top 3 or Top 4 all time.

[Jimmy Cliff]

5 minutes ago, SUMO said:

He is the Only ATG left arm pacer ( davidson, johnson, starc, zaheer, vaas, boult all fell short of ATG status)
Any captain would like to have him in the 11. So he is in Top 3 or Top 4 all time.

Davidson is an ATG brah. Also a more than handy lower order batsman. One of the most under-rated cricketers of all time. 

[Global.Baba]

57 minutes ago, rock777 said:

Mitchel johnson mitchel stark trent boult are some renowned left armers and there was an austrailian allrounder i think allen keith i dont remember was excellent

 

Wasim,MJ,Starc,Zak,Vaas and some aussie guy Davidson or something probably hyped due to knocking some hapless poms in picnic games.

[Global.Baba]

11 minutes ago, Jimmy Cliff said:

Davidson is an ATG brah. Also a more than handy lower order batsman. One of the most under-rated cricketers of all time. 

I don't rate a lot of old Aussie and English players. Ever listen to Chappel's commentary or Alan Wilkins, they will look at someone like Kohli or Starc and start drawing parallels with some random county cricketer or from Sheffield shield.

[SUMO]

3 hours ago, Jimmy Cliff said:

Davidson is an ATG brah. Also a more than handy lower order batsman. One of the most under-rated cricketers of all time. 

Difficult to judge pre 1970s era. But Strike rate of 62 doesnt look special. Moreover in 44 games he took 186 wic.
He was just a medium pacer from what I have read.

Edited February 6, 2020 by SUMO

[Jimmy Cliff]

6 minutes ago, Global.Baba said:

I don't rate a lot of old Aussie and English players. Ever listen to Chappel's commentary or Alan Wilkins, they will look at someone like Kohli or Starc and start drawing parallels with some random county cricketer or from Sheffield shield.

Yeah but Davidson didn't just excel in random county or Sheffield Shield games. His Test record is stellar and he has a better bowling and batting average compared to Akram. He played in the era of Sobers (who is pretty much universally recognized as the GOAT batting all-rounder) so I don't see an issue with rating him highly. His all-round performance in the first ever Tied Test was his greatest moment in Tests.