Wasim Akram Makes Shocking Revelation About Harsh Treatment From Former PAK Skipper Saleem Malik

Pakistan's legendary pacer Wasim Akram is one of the most renowned cricketing faces and is a name that is often used as an example for bowlers. He played a really crucial role in Pakistan's 1992 World Cup win and was also the skipper for his side in the 1999 World Cup.

New Delhi: Pakistan’s legendary pacer Wasim Akram is one of the most renowned cricketing faces and is a name that is often used as an example for bowlers. He played a really crucial role in Pakistan’s 1992 World Cup win and was also the skipper for his side in the 1999 World Cup.

Wasim Akram in his biography ‘Sultan: A Memoir’ made a shocking revelation about former Pakistani skipper Saleem Malik. Akram revealed how Malik used to treat him like a servant during his early days on the team. Wasim made his debut two years after Saleem Malik in 1984. There used to be a constant buzz about the cold war between Wasim and Saleem.

“He would take advantage of my junior status. He was negative, selfish and treated me like a servant. He demanded I massage him; he ordered me to clean his clothes and boots. I was angry when some of the younger team members in Ramiz, Tahir, Mohsin, Shoaib Mohammad invited me to nightclubs,” read an extract from Akram’s biography.

Wasim Akram and Saleem Malik were teammates for several years. Akram even played under Malik’s captaincy from 1992 to 1995. They won 7 of 12 test matches and 21 of 34 ODIs. Malik suffered a lifetime ban in 2000 as he was found guilty of match-fixing. Although, he did reveal the harsh treatment from Akram and Waqar during his captaincy period.

Saleem Malik during an interview with a local channel earlier this year said “When I would go to Wasim to hand him the ball, he would snatch it from me, because he wasn’t talking to me. There was anger because I had become captain, whereas Wasim and Waqar wanted it. Both of them weren’t speaking to me, and yet we won the series. Wasim would snatch the ball from me and walk away, and I would walk along with him. Waz wasn’t talking to me.”

“I would tell him: ‘Waz, you’re the No.1 bowler in the world.’ I am saying it to him while he’s walking to his run-up in anger. I said ‘You’re the No.1 bowler, you dismiss him, you don’t, it doesn’t matter to me. You have your own reputation,” he added.

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