Dale Steyn vs Wasim Akram

[Bolo.]

1. Was Akram unlucky to play in a generation with many all time great bowlers?

2. Was Wasim Akram lucky to be play in an era when fast bowling was much easier?

3. Was Steyn really that damn good or did his legacy benefit from there being no great bowlers during his prime(2007-2015)?

Yes.

 

[pardus]

As a bowler, Wasim evokes the same sort of reverence from his peers as I have only seen Viv Richards evoke as a batsman.
In his book “Time to talk”, Curtly Ambrose unambiguously calls Wasim the greatest fast bowler of his generation.
Ambrose writes - "Wasim Akram - Possibly the greatest; he was something else. He could swing the ball, he could seam the ball off the pitch, he could bowl at high pace when he wanted to. He had it all and was the complete package. When the great West Indies teams that I was involved in played - with Sir Viv, Greenidge and Haynes and the rest, Wasim's was the name that was talked about a lot in team meetings - of how we were going to approach him and negotiate his threat, because we knew what he was capable of. I have seen him do things with a cricket ball that mere mortals like myself couldn't do".
Glenn McGrath has the same opinion as Ambrose.
So does Brian Lara.
In 96 or 97, Sir Don too called Wasim the best left arm bowler he has seen.
Viv Richards mentioned multiple times that the first time he seriously thought about retirement, and one of the few times he thought about his physical wellbeing while batting (because he batted with minimal protection), was after facing a bouncer from Wasim in the 88-89 tri-series in Australia (although I was more impressed by Viv’s reflexes even at that age, I still think Viv did a phenomenal job avoiding getting hit by that bouncer - it was slog overs of an ODI match and Viv was completely caught off guard and was very clearly surprised).

 

[subshakerz]

Viv Richards mentioned multiple times that the first time he seriously thought about retirement, and one of the few times he thought about his physical wellbeing while batting (because he batted with minimal protection), was after facing a bouncer from Wasim in the 88-89 tri-series in Australia (although I was more impressed by Viv’s reflexes even at that age, I still think Viv did a phenomenal job avoiding getting hit by that bouncer - it was slog overs of an ODI match and Viv was completely caught off guard and was very clearly surprised).

It was a great bouncer.

 

[DrWolverine]

In his book “Time to talk”, Curtly Ambrose unambiguously calls Wasim the greatest fast bowler of his generation.
Ambrose writes - "Wasim Akram - Possibly the greatest; he was something else. He could swing the ball, he could seam the ball off the pitch, he could bowl at high pace when he wanted to. He had it all and was the complete package. When the great West Indies teams that I was involved in played - with Sir Viv, Greenidge and Haynes and the rest, Wasim's was the name that was talked about a lot in team meetings - of how we were going to approach him and negotiate his threat, because we knew what he was capable of. I have seen him do things with a cricket ball that mere mortals like myself couldn't do".

Skills

I am a big fan of Ambrose for the same reason. Even though he was not really the most skilled bowler, he evoked fear like even the most talented couldn’t do.

 

[Coronis]

As a bowler, Wasim evokes the same sort of reverence from his peers as I have only seen Viv Richards evoke as a batsman.
In his book “Time to talk”, Curtly Ambrose unambiguously calls Wasim the greatest fast bowler of his generation.
Ambrose writes - "Wasim Akram - Possibly the greatest; he was something else. He could swing the ball, he could seam the ball off the pitch, he could bowl at high pace when he wanted to. He had it all and was the complete package. When the great West Indies teams that I was involved in played - with Sir Viv, Greenidge and Haynes and the rest, Wasim's was the name that was talked about a lot in team meetings - of how we were going to approach him and negotiate his threat, because we knew what he was capable of. I have seen him do things with a cricket ball that mere mortals like myself couldn't do".
Glenn McGrath has the same opinion as Ambrose.
So does Brian Lara.
In 96 or 97, Sir Don too called Wasim the best left arm bowler he has seen.
Viv Richards mentioned multiple times that the first time he seriously thought about retirement, and one of the few times he thought about his physical wellbeing while batting (because he batted with minimal protection), was after facing a bouncer from Wasim in the 88-89 tri-series in Australia (although I was more impressed by Viv’s reflexes even at that age, I still think Viv did a phenomenal job avoiding getting hit by that bouncer - it was slog overs of an ODI match and Viv was completely caught off guard and was very clearly surprised).

He should have.

 

[Johan]

Man hates on Viv in a Wasim vs Steyn thread ffs

 

[Coronis]

Man hates on Viv in a Wasim vs Steyn thread ffs

How is that hating lol

 

[pardus]

It was a great bouncer.

BTW, later in that same over shown in your above video, Wasim bowled an inswinging yorker on Viv's leg stump - and Viv smashed it to cover boundary. Typical Viv.
Most right hand batsmen, even the great ones, particularly of that era, would have used the inswinging angle to hit the ball to the leg side (most safe shot against bowler of Wasim's pace and swing), but Viv's genius was something else.

These kind of shots might not look particularly special today with batsmen coming up with so many innovative shots in T20 and ODI cricket, but when you watched it live back in the day, you couldn't help but just smile in resignation at Viv's genius.
Viv hit almost exactly the same shot against a very similar Wasim delivery in 1987 World Cup too.

 

[shortpitched713]

Chris Martin (spin)?

@shortpitched713

Would be worth it in the modern day, for mine.

 

[smash84]

[

From most reports I don't think the cordon in the 80s pakistan team was as horrible as it's been since then somehow. Could be wrong though.

Anyway
...

You are right. Pakistan's fielding was significantly worse in the 90s than it was in the 70s or 80s.

 

[shortpitched713]

It all went to **** after 92, is my honest opinion. Depth of talent increased but discipline and intra team cohesion went to the birds.

 

[subshakerz]

It all went to **** after 92, is my honest opinion. Depth of talent increased but discipline and intra team cohesion went to the birds.