Most often known as the “King of Swing”, undoubtedly the fast bowler to grace the game and former Pakistan captain, Wasim Akram turns 55 today.
Akram was known for his ability to reverse swing the ball with precision and accuracy, bowl at sheer pace and bamboozle batsmen around the globe.
He captained Pakistan to many victories in ODI and Test formats of the game, taking the country to the 1999 World Cup final where the green shirts lost to Australia.
The former captain is celebrating his 55th birthday today. Many Fans, fellow cricket legends and his wife, took to social media to pay tribute to the star.
The ICC paid tribute to Akram by sharing a video of his match-winning bowling from the 1992 World Cup final.
Birthday boy @wasimakramlive took 916 international wickets for @TheRealPCB.
— ICC (@ICC) June 3, 2021
Three of his most important came in the 1992 @cricketworldcup final. pic.twitter.com/1mMeoqEDmr
Rob Moody shared a video from the past of the “dream cricketer” bowling an unplayable yorker to a West Indies batsman.
The dream cricketer
— Rob Moody (@robelinda2) June 3, 2021
Happy 55th birthday Wasim Akram!pic.twitter.com/R6xtUjnoxa
The Cricketer shared a medley of Akram deliveries that terrorized batsmen around the globe.
Some of these deliveries 😳
— The Cricketer (@TheCricketerMag) June 2, 2021
Happy birthday, Wasim Akram!pic.twitter.com/MQzfDGV2R0
An Indian fan of the Pakistani pace legend shared a video of his in which Akram bewitches New Zealand batsmen with his reverse swing prowess.
Happy birthday to @wasimakramlive one of the best alltime bowlers
— Pratham (@pratham_padu) June 3, 2021
414 Test wickets
502 odi wickets
Master of reverse swing pic.twitter.com/P5l2o5LuF3
His wife, Shaniera Akram, also took to Twitter to post a lovely birthday wish for the legend. On Instagram, Shaniera Akram’s shared a long-distance birthday wish for Wasim Akram.
Happy birthday to the love of my life!
— Shaniera Akram (@iamShaniera) June 3, 2021
A man that proves that Age really just is a number! 😘 @wasimakramlive #HappyBirthdayWasimAkram pic.twitter.com/PbM0jj2EjT
Shaniera posted an adorable picture of the couple sharing a moment of laughter together.
“Heroes come and go but legends are forever! You truly are an inspiration to not only our little family but to the world. You prove that age is only a number and that it’s possible to keep getting better with time,” she posted on Instagram.
“I’m so proud of the person you were before we met and the man you have since become. A true trailblazer, a standalone asset to this world and a truly remarkable man in and out of the public eye. You make me want to be a better human and teach me that the real meaning of happiness is by living in the moment and making every bit of those moments count.”
She further lamented the fact that the two couldn’t be together today.
“I know we are not together today for your birthday but you have made it seem as though we have never even been apart for a minute. I wish you a long life, a happy one and the more we keep laughing the faster the time will go till we are back in each other’s arms. You’re are and always will be the best thing that has happened to me. I love you now and for always.”
she wrote.
Wasim then replied to the wish with a happy message of his own, reciprocating the love and revealing how she gives him the strength to cope with the distance.
