The Story of Two Magicians of Fast Bowling

Cricket is a game of perfection. If you are not a perfect bowler, you cannot survive. Because you have to got out the players in Test Matches and have to stop the score and got wickets in ODIs and T20. Without perfection these jobs are impossible. On the other hand if you are a batsman, you have to stay on wicket for a long time in test matches and have to score quick runs in ODIs and T20. Without perfection you can not do so. One can say that perfection is required in every game. But in Football and Hockey you can survive as part of team without scoring goals.  But in cricket you have to show your individual contribution. You have to score runs and got wickets by your own. By only good fielding as part of the team you cannot survive. That’s difference between cricket and other games.

Here is a story of perfection of two thrilling characters of fast bowling. These characters are “WAQAR YOUNIS” and “WASIM AKRAM”. Both were perfect in their job and when they were on peak, all the batsmen were afraid to facing them. Because they were capable of producing fast dangerous bouncers. They were capable of producing in swinging and out swinging deliveries on new ball. They were capable of producing quick swinging yarkers on old balls and they were capable to produce reverse swing on dead wickets. All these arts are all about fast bowling. Srikanth from India was victim of the bouncer of Wasim Akram. This stroke player from India lost his confidence after hit by a bouncer from Wasim Akram. After this hit, he never played confidently any fast bowler. Another victim of swinging yarkers of Waqar Younis was Ian Botham from England.  In a tour to England a fast swinging yarker from Waqar Younas hit Ian Botham on his toes. And in the next match Botham make excuse that he is injured because of slipping in bathroom. Another English Batsman Gram Hick was on peak in those days. When he faced Wasim and Waqar, he found himself fail to face swinging yarkers from these two. He became a single delivery target for Pakistan. Because so many times these two got him out on swinging yarkers very quickly. Even Lara was in trouble to face swinging yarkers from these two. A famous swinging yarker from Waqar Younis is on record, where Lara was not able to remain stand on his toes and his middle stump was disappear. This was the perfection of Reverse Swing Art. In World Cup 1992 final the famous two deliveries from Wasim Akram would never be forgotten. Perfect out swinging delivery which clean bowled Allan Lamb, and next perfect in swinging delivery which clean bowled Cris Lewis. These two deliveries were peak of perfection of reverse swing. No one has been delivered delivery like these. 

The career of Wasim and Waqar was peak of reverse swing art and this art is on decline after the retirement of these two thrilling characters of fast bowling. So many players have tried to get this perfection, but fail to do so.