Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram is arguably the best left-arm fast bowler to have played the sport. His ability to make the ball talk and fox the batsmen made him the best in the business. Recently, his picked top 5 batsmen that he either bowled to or played alongside.

Akram, who celebrated his birthday earlier this week, recently appeared in a chat with former cricketer Basit Ali on his YouTube show. He poured his heart out talking on various issues across cricket and the future of the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2020.

Wasim Akram names his top 5 batsmen

Wasim Akram picked the legendary West Indies batsman and former captain, Viv Richards, on the top spot in his list of top 5 batsmen. Speaking about the legend, Akram admitted that he was a class apart during his prime days.

“If you talk about a batsman with an unmatched technique, charisma and someone who had a huge impact on the game, it is Sir Vivian Richards. I have played against all the greats from mid-eighties to the nineties to the 2000s, but Viv Richards was a class apart,” Akram said.

Speaking further, the former cricketer had New Zealand’s Martin Crowe in the second spot followed by West Indian Brian Lara and countrymen Inzamam-ul-Haq. Wasim Akram picked India’s great Sachin Tendulkar in the fifth spot to complete the list of his top 5 batsmen.

“I am keeping Tendulkar aside from this list because we didn’t play Test cricket against him for 10 years. Waqar and I didn’t bowl to him for ten years in Test matches. He came to Pakistan in 1989 as a 16-year old and after that, we played against him in 1999. 

“I bowled at him at Sharjah in ODIs but Test cricket is different. No doubt he is one of the greats of the game but as a bowler, I didn’t bowl to him in my peak and that is why it is difficult for me to judge him,” Akram opined.