Wasim Akram pushes monotonous pacers to add variations to repertoire
Wasim Akram says that bowlers should look for new ways to challenge batsmen.
Pace legend Wasim Akram has said that fast bowlers today need to add more variations to their repertoire in order to challenge the opposition.
Akram, in a YouTube video with India’s former cricketer Aakash Chopra, said that many current fast bowlers stick to bowling the same routine way, which has helped the game go in favour of the batsmen.
"I see so many fast bowlers these days, running in entire day, bowling with the same run-up, same pace, without variations. A bowler has to keep them guessing what he’s coming up with next. There are so many little things that a bowler can do to trouble a batsman,” said Akram.
Akram revealed his own personal journey on how he used to switch his bowling angles to throw off the batsmen.
"Very few left-arm pacers used to bowl round the wicket when I started. As a youngster I thought if I bowl from this side, a different angle will generate and batsmen will find it tough," he said.
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"Those were the things I learned on my own. I picked up the old ball in the nets, and tried out things like hiding myself behind the umpire during my run-up. The point is to create doubt in the mind of batsmen and that’s what I wanted to do."
Meanwhile, Akram supported the T20 format for its entertainment and monetary value but insisted that it did not prove a player's worth.
"The amount of cricket happening has changed everything. T20 cricket does not make bowlers. Back when we used to play, it was six months playing for the national team and another six months for county team. Youngsters need to play more first-class cricket to learn bowling," he said.
"T20 is amazing, good entertainment; there’s plenty of money involved and I’m all in for the importance of money in a sport and the players. But I don’t judge bowlers on the basis of their T20 performance. I do on the basis of seeing how they fare in the longer format."
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