Former Pakistan all-rounder, Abdul Razzaq, has praised legendary fast bowler, Wasim Akram, and asserted that he would have gotten more respect if he was an Indian or England cricketer.
While appearing on the Samaa TV show Super Over, Razzaq said, “If Wasim Akram was from India, many statutes would have been built to honor him. Akram would have been knighted if he was from England.”
Wasim Akram, who is the second highest wicket-taker in ODI cricket, was conferred the country’s second-highest civilian award, Hilal-e-Imtiaz, by the President of Pakistan, Arif Alvi, on Pakistan Day in 2019.
While lauding Imran Khan’s captaincy, Razzaq said that every cricketer considers him as his role model because of his leadership qualities.
“Imran Khan was a role model for every player. His captaincy and ability to motivate players were really impressive. His leadership aided the development of players around him,” he added.
The former all-rounder also compared two former spinners, Shan Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, and said Murali would have earned more respect than Warne if he had played for Australia.
It is worth noting that Muralitharan and Warne are the leading Test wicket-takers, with 800 and 708 wickets respectively, while the Sri Lankan legend sits comfortably at the top of the ODI wickets chart.
Razzaq represented Pakistan in all three formats and is regarded as one of the best all-rounders of all time. He played 46 Tests, 265 ODIs, and 32 T20Is during his career.