Bowlers can't learn the art of bowling in T20s, says Akram

Dubai - For a man who performed miracles at the highest level, Akram hasn't allowed Covid-19 pandemic to slow him down.

With his deceptive pace from an incredibly short run-up and variations, Wasim Akram left an indelible mark on both shorter and longer versions of the game.
But not everybody can be a Wasim Akram.
Though the legendary Pakistani is too modest to admit that he was a genius that made the ball speak a language most world-class batsmen of his time failed to understand, Akram, who was a talismanic figure at Lancashire in English county cricket, acknowledged that the lesser mortals should learn the art of bowling by playing more first class matches.
During a Facebook video chat with former India opener and commentator Aakash Chopra, Akram admitted that the explosion of T20 leagues is good for the game.
But the bowlers, he says, will only get better by playing in the longer versions of the game.
"The young bowlers should play a lot of first class cricket because it's in first class cricket that they will learn the art of bowling, not in T20 cricket," Akram said.
"I know T20 is amazing, it's good entertainment. It helps cricket make a lot of money. I know the sport needs that money. I am fine with it.
"But as a cricketer, I don't judge players on their T20 performance. I judge them on their performance in the longer versions of the game," said Akram who took 414 Test wickets in his glittering career.
But Akram admitted that the hectic international schedule and the explosion of T20 leagues around the world have now denied the current fast bowlers like Jasprit Bumrah the joy of bowling in seaming conditions in English county cricket.
"It's a very cramped international schedule now. Then you also have the T20 leagues around the world," Akram said.
"The Indian team, for example, plays so many international matches these days. And Bumrah is not just India's number one bowler, but he is among the top bowlers in the world now.
"But, you know, if he rues the fact he can't play in county cricket, I would ask him to relax because times are different now.
"In our time, I used to play six months for Pakistan and the next six months I was playing for Lancashire in county cricket. Now it's very difficult."
For a man who performed miracles at the highest level despite being a diabetic, Akram hasn't allowed the Covid-19 pandemic to slow him down - even 17 years after he quit the game.
"Even during the lockdown, I haven't stopped training," Akram said.
"I do my regular exercises at 6 every morning. I run for about one and a half hours. Then I go for a walk again with my wife in the evening. So, that's my lockdown routine. Being a diabetic, I need to be very disciplined!"
rituraj@khaleejtimes.com