Former Indian cricketer Yograj Singh, father of batsman Yuvraj Singh, declared Pakistani legend Wasim Akram the greatest bowler of all time during a recent question and answer session, choosing him over several cricket icons in a series of head-to-head comparisons.
During the rapid-fire segment, Yograj faced a succession of difficult choices between legendary bowlers.
When asked to pick between Malcolm Marshall and Michael Holding, he selected Holding, before choosing Dennis Lillee over Holding. But when Lillee was pitted against Wasim Akram, Yograj went with the Pakistani left-arm maestro.
From that point forward, Wasim Akram remained Yograj’s unwavering choice. He picked Wasim over his bowling partner Waqar Younis, England’s James Anderson, spin legends Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralitharan, India’s Anil Kumble, South Africa’s Dale Steyn, and even India’s current pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The choices carry particular weight given Yograj’s limited international experience.
He played just one Test match and six One Day Internationals for India between 1980 and 1981, taking one Test and four ODI wickets during his brief career.
Wasim Akram, on the other hand, represented Pakistan in 104 Tests between 1985 and 2002, claiming 414 wickets at an average of 23.62. He also picked up 502 wickets in 356 One Day Internationals, becoming the first player to reach the 500-wicket mark in ODI cricket.
Known as “The Sultan of Swing,” Akram mastered both conventional and reverse swing bowling. He also contributed with the bat, scoring 2,898 runs in Tests including a career-best 257 not out against Zimbabwe.