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Wasim Akram picks 17-year-old PSL sensation as future pace bowling star for Pakistan

Soumyajit Dutta

Wasim Akram shaking hands with Ali Raza [Source: @CallMeSheri1_/X.com]Wasim Akram shaking hands with Ali Raza [Source: @CallMeSheri1_/X.com]

Former Pakistan great and Swing King Wasim Akram has picked emerging Pakistani talent Ali Raza as the future of pace bowling for the nation.

Pakistan, a country which is known to produce formidable and intimidating pace stars over the years, had Wasim Akram also as one of its finest, and in a recent interview, the legend himslef eyed potential in a 17-year-old quick who played in the Pakistan U19 team.

Akram on Ali Raza's potential

Speaking to Wisden Cricket, Wasim Akram was quite elaborate on sharing his thoughts about Raza about bursting into the international scene and how he can become a successful red-ball as well as a white-ball player.

“I very rarely watch Pakistan’s first-class cricket, but I think this young fast bowler, Ali Raza, has a bright future ahead. If he’s guided properly and understands what it takes to become a top red-ball bowler, the white-ball success will follow automatically,” Akram stated.

Notably, Raza grabbed eyeballs during the PSL 10 for Peshawar Zalmi, where he picked 12 wickets from his 9 appearances in the tournament. However, what really caught everyone's attention was his 4/21 that made him a sensation across the land of India's arch rivals.

Akram on politics in PCB and Raza's chances

Though Raza shows promise, Wasim underlined the fact that the growing influence of politics might overshadow the emerging talents, which might also result in Raza losing his future place in the international team.

“What I don’t like in cricket is politics. Sports should be away from it. In league cricket, every player from every nation should be picked. Be brave, be bigger, but that’s not happening, unfortunately. That’s where the ICC and cricket boards need to step in. Regardless of who owns the leagues or the teams, opportunities should be open for everyone,” Akram concluded.

Raza has notably played 6 first-class matches and taken 32 wickets with his best innings figures of 7/48. In his first-class career, he has 2 5-wicket hauls and one 10-wicket haul. Raza also played 12 List A matches, where he picked 17 wickets at an economy rate of 6.16.