​'We had our differences': Wasim Akram on his relationship with Waqar Younis

Pakistan's bowling duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis tormented sides across the globe with their bowling.

Akram was the master of swing bowling, while Younis marvelled at the art of reverse swing, becoming a sight to watch in the 90s. Yet, despite their laurels, much has been written about their conflicts.

Akram has now revealed his bond with Younis, saying that differences existed, but there was also healthy competition between the two.

Akram spoke on Nashpati Prime's YouTube channel, "We had our differences. We were kids then, we were just 23-24 years old, it happens. But there was always healthy competition between us. We always thought if one has taken five wickets, then the other needs to take five as well. There was a healthy competition. And that happened too (against New Zealand)."

"So there always was a healthy rivalry, but our moods would remain on and off. Sometimes it also happened because of teammates. Sometimes they would praise one, other times the other."

Both captained Pakistan and played under each other quite often, apart from other captains.

Akram has 916 international wickets, of which 502 are in Tests. Younis, on the other hand, has 789 dismissals across both formats.

The right-handed paceman has 416 scalps in red-ball cricket. Since his retirement, Akram has been seen in the IPL and PSL mentoring sides.

The 50-year-old has had multiple stints with the Pakistan national side as head and bowling coach since walking away from active cricket in 2003.

The duo was last seen on TV commentating during the 2021 T20 World Cup for a private network in Pakistan.

In his biography, former Pakistan paceman Shoaib Akhtar has written about an altercation between the duo during their 1999 tour of India.

"We lost the Delhi Test and Wasim got into an argument with Waqar. It got so bad that a rumour started doing the rounds that Waqar was to be sent back home. But the entire squad left for Kolkata for the first Test of the Championship. Inside the dressing room, things got uglier. I do not remember it ever being as tense as it was then. The two seniors were at war and we were a young and fresh team. Everyone was stressed out," Akhtar wrote in 2011.