A dream cricketer. At his best Wasim Akram plays like most of us would wish to. He has complete mastery over swing and seam, and sometimes moves the ball both ways in one delivery. All this comes at high speed from a quick, ball-concealing action, and is backed up by the threat of a dangerous bouncer or deceptive slower delivery. Wasim is rated by many as the best left-arm fast bowler of all time and his career record certainly bears that out - along with the high regard of his contemporaries. He hits like a kicking horse, but batsmanship is one skill in which Wasim has underachieved, despite a monumental 257 against Zimbabwe at Sheikhupura in 1996-97. He was the natural successor to Imran Khan as Pakistan's leader and captain, but the match-fixing controversies of the 1990s harmed him, blunting his edge and dimming his lustre. Though he reached the 500-wicket landmark in ODIs in the World Cup, he was among the eight players dumped after Pakistan's miserable performance. He retired shortly after, after a brief spell with Hampshire.

Pakistan's ace fast bowler and former captain, Wasim Akram has the distinction of getting more than four hundred wickets in both forms of the game. The highest wicket-taker in One-dayers (432), he is fourth in the world after Courtney Walsh, Kapil Dev, and Sir Richard Hadlee and with 409 wickets at a commendable average of 23.17 in Test cricket, which makes him the leading left-arm pace man in the game of cricket today.

Wasim Akram has been the strength and guiding force of Pakistan's much-feared bowling line-up ever since his international debut in January 1985 at the age of 18. Referred to as the "Prince of Pakistan" during Imran Khan's era, Wasim matured and grew under Imran's guidance to become one of the most dreaded bowlers in the world. Wasim's pace is even more amazing considering he has one of the shortest run-ups for a genuine left-arm fast bowler. Along with the devastating pace and breathtaking accuracy, his ability to move the ball in the air and off the seam makes him the most lethal bowler of the Pakistan team. All this coupled with the consistency of performance; he was dubbed as "the best fast bowler in the world" at the end of the 1995-96 Pakistan tour of Australia and New Zealand. And who will forget his exploits during the England's tour in 1992 and South African tour of 1993, when he along with his pace partner Waqar, devastated the opposition batting line-ups with minimum of respite.

Although bowling has been his top priority, Wasim has frustrated and destroyed bowling attacks with his occasionally sensational batting. However, some of his Test innings has also been very effective. His 123 against Australia at Adelaide was played at a time when Pakistan was facing the prospect of a defeat. Then his 257* against the visiting Zimbabweans at Sheikhupura (which included a world-record of 12 sixes), is one of the finest innings to date in Test cricket by a captain.

Now at 34 years of age, Wasim has found that situations have not been as smooth as they were a few years ago. He has struggled to find form, lately, both with bat and ball. This fact aided by the match fixing scandal has marred his reputation largely, and it has become somewhat of a task to find his place in the team, especially with the emergence of a lot of young blood.

Wasim Akram was born on June 3, 1966 at Lahore and started his cricket career playing for the famous Ludhyana Club, where his hidden talents were first assessed. Later, he went on to join Pakistan International Airlines and Lahore City Cricket Association. He takes parts in the domestic competitions of the country playing for these teams