LAHORE: Former Pakistan Test captain and current Test squad veteran Azhar Ali has started reminiscing about the thrilling matches between Pakistan and Australia in the 90s and said that he is a fan of Waqar Younis and Wasim Akram.
Ali said that back in the 90s, Pakistan and Australia were considered to be the two strongest teams in the world. The former test captain said that cricket fans from all over the world were eager to watch the cricket match between Pakistan and Australia. “I remember waking up at night to watch the matches because of the long time difference between the two countries,” he maintained.
Read more: PSL 7: Karachi Kings loose sixth consecutive match
“I have been a fan of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis’ memorable bowling spells for former Australia captains Ricky Ponting and Adam Gilchrist,” said Azhar Ali, a veteran of the National Test squad. The battle between Shoaib Akhtar and Brett Lee is still remembered today.
Azhar Ali said that Pakistan was famous for its bowling that it could successfully defend 150 runs. “I remember many such matches where Jahan Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis with the help of Shoaib Akhtar destroyed the strong batting line of Australia,” he added.
He said that Saeed Anwar and Inzamam-ul-Haq were considered the backbone of the national cricket team. “I was impressed with the batting of former captain Steve Waugh. It was known that he did not play short pitch balls well but he also played long innings by eating bouncer on Steve’s body,” he further added.
Pakistan has recently announced a Test squad for the national cricket team, which will include Azhar Ali, who will start training with the Test squad on February 16. Azhar Ali represented Pakistan in 11 Test matches against Australia.
In 22 innings of 11 Test matches, Azhar Ali scored 1000 runs against Australia at an average of 50, including 3 centuries and 5 half-centuries. Azhar Ali also scored 205 unbeaten runs against Australia in Melbourne in 2016.
