Who Is The Best Pace Bowler Pakistan Have Ever Had?. >

[Ernest]

Well this is a tough one, go back as far as you like, but think hard you will have to, with all the top names, I wish you luck with all your choices.
Who was Pakistans best ever pace bowler.

[Rachael]

Hmm. First thought is Imran Khan.. not least because he initially carried the team almost single handedly. Perhaps the most attractive and natural of the three to watch... but without quite matching the sheer destructiveness Waqar Younis had at his peak or the completeness that the mature Wasim Akram brought to the game.. but a hard act to follow.

Bowling             19458  727  8258  362  22.81  8-58   23   6  53.7  2.54

Waqar Younis was perhaps the one who, at his peak, had the biggest impact.. but didn't sustain that impact.. and leaked runs like nothing right: unlike the other contenders.. he really was far less useful than the others with a soft ball that wasn't reversing and I recall him as having had little of Wasim's guile. Perhaps the the least complete bowler of the three contenders.

Bowling            2704    516  8788  373  23.56  7-76   22   5  43.4  3.25

Despite being the least destructive of the three... Wasim Akram might get the nod for me. Perhaps less of a natural than the other two.. but the craftsman who just kept getting better. He certainly seemed to be the one who worked hardest at being the complete bowler.

Bowling            3771.1  871  9779  414  23.62  7-119  25   5  54.6  2.59

A look at the PWC almost convinces me otherwise (Imran Khan and Waqar Younis, at their best, eclipsed Wasim Akram completely)... but there's something very tempting about a guy who cricinfo write up as follows:

Originally Posted by Wisden profile

A dream cricketer. At his best Wasim Akram plays like most of us would wish to. He has complete mastery over swing and seam, and sometimes moves the ball both ways in one delivery. All this comes at high speed from a quick, ball-concealing action, and is backed up by the threat of a dangerous bouncer or deceptive slower delivery. Wasim is rated by many as the best left-arm fast bowler of all time and his career record certainly bears that out - along with the high regard of his contemporaries.

I end undecided.. but inclined to say 1st Wasim Akram, then Imran Khan, then Waqar Younis.

ps: trust we can dismiss all the rest.. not fit to be mentioned in the same thread.

[Ernest]

Well this is an easy one for me, we where lucky to have Wasim at Lancashire for quite a while, so I know more about him, and was he entertaining, in the domestic one day cricket,I have watched him in, he was great at county level, and a great for Pakistan. He was an all-rounder I suppose, but he was a specialist bowler.

he has been missed by both Lancashire and Pakistan, a true great.

Ern

[Chuck Palumbo]

Waqar for me, arguably the most exciting bowler ever to have grace the game. I just loved the way he just went for it every ball whether it was a devastating yorker or a vicous bouncer. In the early 90s there was no better fast bowler although his peak was shorter than Ambrose or Akram and therefore he is not rated alongside them but on his day Waqar was the best I have seen.

[Ernest]

Waqar for me was one of the best bowlers of a yorker I have seen, second only to Imran khan, or maybe his equall, but I would say wasim was the more exiting bowler to watch, every time Wasim Akram came on to bowl, there seemed to be a buzz.
Ern

[Nikhil]

Wasim Akram. From being an out-and-out tearaway fast bowler, he matured into an outstanding user of the ball, pitch and weather conditions. He was really devasting. His whippy action masquaraded the speed he generated from a very small run-up and yet he was so accurate and wiley.

A true legend IMHO.

[Ernest]

=Nikhil]Wasim Akram. From being an out-and-out tearaway fast bowler, he matured into an outstanding user of the ball, pitch and weather conditions. He was really devasting. His whippy action masquaraded the speed he generated from a very small run-up and yet he was so accurate and wiley.
A true legend IMHO.

What a good choice, you said it all, we where lucky at lancashire to have him for quite a while, you post says it all.

Ern

[Shaka]

Wasim Akram for me, I'll come back to this and give my reasons in more detail later when i have more time. I think the three who have been mentioned so far Imran Khan and Waqar included are head and shoulders above the rest and you could make a convincing case for all of them. To put it in a nutshell though, there wasn't anything that Wasim couldn't do with a ball. If ever you could describe someone as having the ability to make a ball talk it was Akram. I swear there were some delivieries that changed direction twice before they reached the batsmen!

Anyway, more later...

[mojj]

I watched a one day game between South Africa and Pakistan in East London in 1994 and what I witnessed that day, I dont think I will ever witness again. Fast bowling at its Sheer destructive best. South Africa, 3 down needing 25 runs in 6 overs, Hansie Cronje on 5o and Andrew Hudson on 80 odd. Enter Wasim and Waqar, old ball, reverse swing, need I say more. The ball that bowled poor Darryl Cullinan, defied Physics and Wasim AKram produced it to start the rotting. Waqar on the other end also cleaned 3 or 4 batsmen up to end with a fivefa, the same as Wasim. South Africa had clutced defeat from the jaws of victory. But even in defeat, SOuth Africa could be happy because they were part of history that will stay with me forever. Waqar was best when Wasim was bowling at the other end and vice versa. Wasim could also do it alone but he did need another bowler of the same calibre on the other end. Waqar needed nobody when he started, but faded badly when his back was damaged. His yorkers will however be remembered by many a batsmen and by me forever.

all the best

[Ernest]

Yes Waqar had a devastating yorker, but one of his countrymen had the same attribute, Imran Khan, he could bowl a yorker as good as the best.

Wasim I remember well from when he played at lanc's, he above once claimed victory from certain defeat, with spells of devastating bowling, he could have a quiet first spell, then come bach with 4 for, in no time at all.