By The Update
Time to crank up the highlight reel and watch the Sultan of Swing in full symphonic flow. When Wasim Akram marked his run-up, you didn’t just expect wickets -you expected witchcraft. Swing, seam, snarl, and swagger; he didn’t just bowl, he performed.
5/61 vs India, World Cup Semi-Final, Sharjah (1992)
Format: ODI
The air was thick, the stakes were nuclear, and Wasim Akram was pure theatre. He dismantled India’s middle order like he was unzipping a cricket textbook in fast-forward – reverse swing carving through pads and pride alike. Every delivery felt personal, every wicket a statement. Pakistan surged forward, and Akram left India’s batsmen looking like they’d been hit by a statistical tornado.
6/44 vs Australia, Melbourne Test (1990–91)
Format: Test
Classic Wasim: the new ball whispering secrets to him that no one else could hear. He angled it across, then jagged it back in like a boomerang from hell. Australian batsmen didn’t know which way to play, or pray. By the time he finished, six had fallen, and the MCG crowd had witnessed a masterclass in controlled destruction. Confidence shattered, scoreboard demolished, and somewhere Allan Border just sighed.
Watch the highlights here
5/26 vs England, Headingley Test (1992)
Format: Test
It was cloudy, humid, and practically screaming “Akram conditions.” He ran in, pitched it up, and let the ball sing its wicked little swing-song. The English top order looked like they were playing pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey with a moving target. By the end, the middle order was rubble, and Headingley had been turned into Wasim’s personal laboratory of humiliation.
Watch the highlights here
7/14 vs New Zealand, Sharjah (1994)
Format: ODI
This one was carnage on fast-forward. Seven wickets for fourteen runs. Let that marinate. The Kiwis had no clue which way the ball was going, or when it would stop moving. Reverse swing was bending time and space, bails were flying, and batsmen were queuing for the pavilion like it was a buffet. It wasn’t just a spell; it was a warning to future generations: never, ever underestimate a shiny white ball in Wasim Akram’s hands.
Watch the highlights here
5 wickets in a single World Cup match (1999)
Format: ODI
By ’99, Wasim was the grizzled general, less fury, more finesse. But don’t be fooled; the fire still burned. Every ball was loaded with intent, disguised as artistry. He picked off key wickets like a sniper, breaking partnerships before they could even blink. Pakistan didn’t just win that day, they strutted, riding on Akram’s blend of intelligence and intimidation.
Watch the highlights here
The Update’s Final Word
Wasim Akram didn’t bowl overs, he wrote scripts. From Sharjah’s dusty glow to Melbourne’s green menace, he turned the science of swing into poetry and panic. Forget stats for a moment, these spells were moments where physics waved the white flag. Pakistan cricket might move on, but Akram’s deliveries? Eternal, untouchable, immortal.
