'He should have been Pakistan's Brian Lara': Wasim Akram singles out 'casual' ex-teammate; calls him 'shallow thinker'
Pakistan have always been considered as one of the heavyweights in cricket considering the talent the country has produced over the years.
Pakistan have always been considered as one of the heavyweights in cricket considering the talent the country has produced over the years. The recent years have seen them do exceptionally well in the shorter format, with Pakistan qualifying for the semifinals in the World T20 in 2021 and reaching the finals in the following edition played in Australia last year. If we look at their past record, Pakistan won their first ODI World Cup under the leadership of legendary all-rounder Imran Khan in 1992. They had a relatively quiet outing in the next edition, before finishing as the runners-up in 1999.
The 90s also saw Pakistan boast of an incredible line-up in both departments, and one name which still features among the greatest left-handed batters is Saeed Anwar. Anwar featured in 55 Tests and 247 ODIs, and accumulated 12,876 runs. Renowned for his beautiful strokeplay and exceptional timing, Anwar had the potential to give electrifying starts irrespective of the format.
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Despite Anwar's rich resume, former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram feels the opener batter could have achieved way more, even claiming he could have been Pakistan's Brian Lara if it was not for his “casual” attitude.
“My only criticism of Saeed is that with his talent he should have been Pakistan's Brian Lara - he was casual about his fitness, a reluctant worker, and a shallow thinker about the game,” noted Akram in his official biography Sultan : A Memoir.
Akram's comment was in connection to the 1st Test between the arch rivals, which was played at the Eden Gardens in February 1999. Anwar was then dismissed for a duck in the first innings, but he gave a strong response in the second, finishing unbeaten on 188 as Pakistan won the contest by 46 runs.
In fact Anwar's highest ODI score of 194 also came against India in Chennai in 1997. The opener had smashed the runs in just 146 balls, an innings which featured 22 fours and 5 sixes. He had also scored 101 off 126 balls against India during the epic World Cup in Centurion in 2003. India had won the match six wickets.
