Sachin Tendulkar is the best in history: Wasim Akram

Dubai - Regret Waqar Younis and I couldn't play against Tendulkar in Tests, says the former Pakistani cricketer.

"Wasim Akram is the greatest fast bowler I have ever seen," Kapil Dev, who was no mug with the ball, told an Indian news channel few years ago.

Perhaps the interviewer was not convinced and asked Kapil if he meant the Pakistani was the greatest left-arm quick in his book.
Watch: Cricket & Beyond with legends Wasim Akram and Sachin Tendulkar

"Left-arm, right-arm, all arm," the legendary Indian all-rounder replied in his typical style. "There was nobody like him. He was a magician with the ball."

Of course, 916 international wickets confirmed Wasim's place in the pantheon of all-time greats. But it was his astounding ability to move the ball both ways at great pace that really set him apart.
Also read: Sachin Tendulkar is finally at peace with himself

Like so many of his famous Pakistani contemporaries, Wasim's was also a meteoric rise.

Picked by the national selectors in 1985 with hardly any domestic experience to speak of, Wasim went on to prove his backers right and became the craftiest left-arm pacer the world has ever seen.

One of the men that saw the talent in him was Shafqat Rana. This reporter had a rare chance to meet Rana -- a former Pakistan selector -- more than 10 years ago and it was then that Rana revealed his role in giving Wasim his first cap.

Wasim smiled when Khaleej Times asked him about Rana during an exclusive interview on Saturday.

"Yes, Shafqat and Haseeb Ahsan had a great influence in my cricketing career. They picked me for the Pakistan team and my fourth first class game was a Test match! So probably they knew that I was talented and that's why they picked me," Wasim, looking unbelievably fit at 49, said.

The former Pakistan captain then claimed a certain Indian teenager proved his own talent-spotting ability after he had predicted a great future for him.

And that teenager was, of course, Sachin Tendulkar.

"I had the gut feeling that this boy was something special. When he made his debut against us in Pakistan I was stunned by his technique and the way he played, the way he got back to play after being hit on the chin.

"I realised that this was a very, very gutsy 16-year-old boy.

"Apart from the talent, I saw the time he had to play his shots. Eventually he proved me right. He got 100 international hundreds and became the best batsman the world has ever seen.

"I mean I have bowled to some great batsmen like (Sunil) Gavaskar and (Viv) Richards, but they were in the twilight when I bowled to them.

"On the other hand, I bowled to Sachin when he just arrived at the international stage and imagine he was playing for India against Pakistan in Pakistan as a 16-year-old. That says a lot about him," Wasim said a day after he took part in a special talk show with Tendulkar in Dubai.

"It was great fun being with Sachin on the show last night. We have always been good friends. We shared not just our on-field memories, but we also talked about what we used to do off the field, our pre-match rituals, how we approached the game."

Wasim then revealed his biggest cricketing regret. "The only regret that me and Waqar (Younis) had in our careers is that we never got to play Sachin in Tests when he was at his peak and we were also on top of our game.

"Pakistan didn't play Test cricket with India for 10 years. There was Sachin's debut series in 1989 and then we played in 1999. So that was our biggest regret. It would have been a great battle with him on one side and me and Waqar on the other!"

The great on-field rivals did produce a battle of epic proportions in the 1999 Test in Chennai -- a match that became famous for the Chennai crowd's standing ovation to the Pakistanis after they had defied a batting masterpiece from Sachin and broken Indian hearts in an unforgettable finish.

"That match was probably the best experience for me on an overseas tour both as a player and as a captain. The Chennai crowd was amazing that day," Wasim said with a glint in his eye.

While Wasim was Kapil's choice as his greatest fast bowler, the Pakistani named his own favourite when we pushed him.

"There have been so many great bowlers. But if I have to pick one bowler in my book, it has to be Malcolm Marshall.

"He could bowl in England, he could bowl in Australia. He could bowl quick, he could bowl bouncers, yorkers and he also bowled well in the sub-continent.

"Lot of people talk about Dennis Lillee who was one of the greats of the game no doubt. But he played only one series in the sub-continent.

"Marshall on the other hand was a bowler who could fox you in a matter of two deliveries. That was his beauty."

There must be somebody among the current bowlers that Wasim Akram loves watching.

"Dale Styen," he said.

"I like his attitude. He is so aggressive with the ball and takes wickets so consistently. He is a treat to watch."

The South African will be delighted if he gets to know the identity of his admirer whose own heroics once made the romantics drool.

rituraj@khaleejtimes.com

• Cricket & Beyond with legends Wasim Akram and Sachin Tendulkar