Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, wants the sporting fans in the country to be patient with the upcoming fast bowlers and said that he cannot do wonders in a short camp.
The former cricketer from Lahore is presently conducting a fast bowling camp at the National Stadium Karachi, helping young and talented pacers to enhance their skills.
While speaking to reporters during the camp, Akram, who is arguably the best left-arm pacer of the history of the game, cautioned the cricket fans against expecting miracles from him. Akram is of the view that fast bowling is an art and a young player needs time to develop.
The 46-year-old revealed that he will be working with the national players in future as well, despite his commitments with a television channel for commentary.
“I am not a magician able to work wonders in ten days but I will try my level best to help them in phases and hope that the same training camp is staged after a break of three to four months,” he expressed. “I will be there in the camp and then at the Champions Trophy so will do my best to help them to learn and mature.”
In the previous seasons of the Indian Premier League (IPL), Akram has been the bowling coach of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) but he took a break this season for personal reasons.
The cricket pundits in Pakistan are not happy with the performance of their fast bowlers in the recently-concluded tour of South Africa and many believe that there are not many quality pacers coming through the ranks of domestic cricket.
However, Wasim is of the view that the upcoming speedsters in Pakistan are extremely talented and they will get better with the passage of time. He urged the Pakistani bowlers to learn to adjust in different conditions at the highest stage of the game, where there is no room for error.
Wasim mentioned, “I don’t think it’s a serious concern. The talent is definitely there but these kids need experience and must learn to adapt to the demands of international cricket where they are found wanting.”
He further said that the upcoming pacers should learn to adapt to different circumstances if they want to be successful at the highest stage of the game.
Over the years, Pakistan has produced some of the best fast bowlers of the world, who have conquered many great batting line-ups. The likes of Imran Khan, Akram himself and Waqar Younis are considered to among the all-time greats.
However, since the ban imposed on Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir due to the spot-fixing controversy, the Green Shirts have struggled in this department of the game, which used to be their strength.
Pakistan’s speedsters, apart from Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan, failed to make an impression in the recent tour of South Africa, although the pitches were conducive for seam bowlers.
“You need to be aggressive and learn how to adapt to these rule changes. Pakistani bowlers have a lot of talent but they need to learn and adapt to the demands of international cricket,” said the former great. “With the change in ODI cricket, that you can’t keep more than four fielders outside the circle in a 50-over match at any time.”
While commenting on the performance of the young fast bowlers in the tour of South Africa, the legendary pacer emphasised on the point that bowlers have to be very smart to take advantage of the conditions and Pakistan’s pacers lacked homework against the Proteas.
“The grounds in South Africa were green but you need a certain strategy to bowl, so until and unless they learn it they will not be able to turn their potential into performances,” the former Test captain added.
