Wasim Akram Urges Fans to Keep India-Pakistan Cricket Rivalry in Perspective
New Delhi — Former Pakistan fast-bowling great Wasim Akram has urged fans to treat India-Pakistan cricket matches as sporting contests rather than allowing decades-old political and historical tensions to fuel hostility between supporters.
Speaking on the 1 Mint podcast, Akram said the intense emotions surrounding matches between the neighboring countries often go far beyond what should be expected from a sporting rivalry.
“People have too much time. Why can’t they understand? It’s only a frikkin game. At the end of the day, it’s just a match. Somebody has to win, somebody has to lose. And move on to the next one,” Akram said.
He added that lingering ideas of revenge over events from the past were outdated and only intensified tensions around the rivalry.
Akram also discussed his long association with former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan, who was frequently compared with the former Pakistan captain early in his career because of his left-arm pace and similarities in their bowling actions.
The two met during India’s tour of Australia in 2004, when Akram was working as a commentator and Pathan was beginning to establish himself in international cricket.
“Irfan met me in 2004 on his first tour to Australia; I was commentating. He was a big fan. Grew up watching us. I gave him a few tips here and there, but he did well early on in his career,” Akram said.
Akram said his advice to Pathan focused more on the mental and tactical aspects of fast bowling than on major technical changes.
“His action was similar to mine from the very beginning. But when players ask you about something, what you tell them is mostly about the mindset,” he said, adding that areas such as wrist position, reading a batter and knowing when to use variations become increasingly important at the international level.
Akram said he and Pathan have remained in contact over the years, although he joked about some of the former Indian cricketer’s social media posts concerning Pakistan.
“Irfan is a good boy; he still keeps meeting me. It’s a different thing that he keeps tweeting some or the other thing against Pakistan. But our fans are ready too. They don’t have the tendency to ignore either. They just have to reply,” Akram said.
Pathan made his Test debut against Australia in 2003 and quickly emerged as one of India’s leading young fast bowlers. His ability to swing the new ball, left-arm action and growing batting skills also helped establish him as an all-rounder during his international career. (Source: IANS)
