Sachin Tendulkar wondered why batsmen found Wasim Akram tough: Sanjay Manjrekar in new book

Wasim Akram will walk into most people’s all-time best XI. And rightly so, the Pakistani great is inarguably the finest left-arm fast-bowler the world has ever seen.

When Akram was at his peak, there was little he couldn’t do with the ball in hand. In-swing, out-swing, reverse-swing, any swing – you name it, the man could do it. All he needed was a short, quick run-up to terrorise batsmen around the world with thunderbolts.

Akram was feared by one and all, but as it turns out, there was one batsman in his era who couldn’t see what the fuss was all about. And that man, of course, is Sachin Tendulkar.

In his latest book, Imperfect, former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar makes an astonishing revelation. He reflects on ‘the best rivalry that never was’ – Akram versus Tendulkar.

Akram’s duels with the Little Master were thrilling to say the least. Both men were at the peak of their powers for the better part of their rivalry, providing absolutely top-notch cricket for crazed fans.

In an excerpt from his book that Manjrekar shared on ESPNcricinfo, he talks about India’s tour of Pakistan in 1989, where a few exhibition matches were played at the …read more